THE
LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
I vrrAtim nof 1757.
BY  J.  FENIMORE   COOPER.
Mielike me not for mycomplexion,
The ahadowed livery of the burnished sun."
COXPLIETE IN ONxE VOLz  B.
NEW  YORK:
W. A. TOWNSEND & COMPANY,
46 WALKER STREET.
1859.




THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by
STRINGER AND TOWNSEND,
In the Clerk's office of the District Court for the southern district of New York.




PREFACE.
THE reader, who takes up these volumes, in expectation of finding an imaginary and romantic picture
of things which never had an existence, will probably
lay them aside, disappointed. The work is exactly
what it professes to be in its title-page-a naati ive.
As it relates, however, to matters which may not be
universally understood, especially by the more imaginative sex, some of whom, under the impression
that it is a fiction. may be induced to read the book,
it becomes the interest of the author to explain a few
of the obscurities of the historicl alon   lie is
admonished to discharge this duty, by the bitter cup
of experience, which has often proved to him, that
however ignorant the public may be of any thing before it is presented to their eyes, the instant it has
oeen subjected to that terrible ordeal, they, individually and collectively, and he may add, intuitively,
know more of it than the agent of the discovery;
and yet, that, in direct opposition to this incontro
vertible fact, it is. a very unsafe experiment eithel
for a writer or a projector to trust to the inventive
powers of any one but himself. Therefore, nothing
which can well be explained, should be left a myste
ry. Such an expedient would only impart a peculiar
pleasure to readers of that description, who find a
strange gratification in spending more of their time in




IV                 P&EFACE.
making books, than of their money in buying them.
With this preliminary explanation of his reasons foi
introducing so many unintelligible words, in the very
threshold of his undertaking, the author will commence his task. Of course, nothing will, or need be
told, with which any one, in the smallest degree
acquainted with Indian antiquities, is not already
familiar.
The greatest difficulty with which the student of
Indian history has to contend, is the utter confusion
that pervades the names. When, however, it is recollected, that the Dutch, the English, and the French,
each took a conqueror's liberty in this particular;
that the natives themselves not only speak different
languages, and ecen dialects of those languages, but
that they are also fond of multiplying their appellations, the difficulty is more a matter of regret than of
surprise. It is hoped, that whatever other faults may
exist in the following pages, their obscurity will be
thought to arise from this fact.
The Europeans found that immense region which
lies between the Penobscot and the Potomac, the Atlantic and the Mississippi, in the possession of a people who sprangfrom the same stock.  In one or two
points of this immense boundary, their limits may
have been a little extended or curtailed, by the surrounding nations; but such, in gdneral terms, was the
extent of their territory. The generic name of this
people was the Wapanachki.  They were fond, how
ever, of calling themselves the "Lenni Lenape,'
which of itself signifies, an "unmixed people."  It
would far exceed the information of the author, to
enumerate a moiety of the communities, or tribes




PPREFACE.                  IV
into which this race of beings was subdivided.  Each
tribe had its name, its chiefs, its hunting grounds, and,
frequently, its dialect.  Like the feudal princes of the
old world, they fought among themselves, and exercised most of the other privileges of sovereignty.
Still, they admitted the claims of a common origin, a
similar language, and of that moral interest, which
was so faithfully and so wonderfully transmitted
through their traditions.  One branch of this numerous people was seated on a beautiful river, known as
the "Lenapewihittuck," where the'long house," or
Great Council Fire, of the nation was universally admitted to be established.
The tribe that possessed the country which now
composes the south-western parts of New-England,
and that portion of New-York that lies east of the
Hudson, and the country even much farther to the
south, was a mighty people, called the "Mahicanni,"
or, more- commonly, the "Mohicans."  The latter
word has since been corrupted by the English, into
" Mohegan."
The Mohicans were again subdivided.  In their
collective capacity, they even disputed the point of
aitiquity with their neighbours, who possessed the' long house;" but their claim to be the " eldest son'
of. their "grandfather," was freely allowed. Ol
course, this portion of the original proprietors of the
soil was the first dispossessed by the whites. The
few of them that now remain, are chiefly scattered
among other tribes, and retain no other memorials of
their power and greatness, than their melancholy recoUections.
The tribe that guarded the sacred precincts of the
A 2




V1                 PREFACE.
council house, was distinguished for ages by its flattering title of the "Lenape;" but after the English
changed the appellation of their river to' Delaware,'
they came gradually to be known by the same name.
In the use of these terms, however, great delicacy of
perception was observed among themselves. These
shades of expression pervade their language, tempering all their communications, and frequently imparting its pathos or energy to their eloquence.
For many hundreds of miles along-the northern
boundaries of the Lerape, was seated another people, similarly situated as to subdivisions, descent, and
language. They were called by their neighbours
the " Mengwe."  These northern savages were, for
a time, however, less powerful, and less united, than
the Lenape. In order to obviate this disadvantage,
five of the most powerful and warlike of their tribes,
who lay nearest to the council house of their ene.
mies, confederated for the purposes of mutual de
rence, being, in truth, the oldest United Republics
of which the history of North America furnishes any
evidence.  These tribes were the Mohawks, the
Oneidas, the Senecas, the Cayugas, and the Onondagas.
At a later day, a straggling band of their race, which
had "gone nigher to the sun," was reclaimed, and admitted into a full communion of all their political privileges. This tribe (the Tuscarora) increased their
number so far, that the English changed the appellation
they had given the confederation, from the " Five" to
the " Six Nations." It will be seen, in the course of.the narrative, that the word nation is sometimes applied to a community, and sometimes to the people, in
their most extended sense.  The Mengwe were often




PREFACE.                  VIi
"alled by their Indian neighbours, the "Maquas,"
and frequently, by way of contempt, "Mingoes."
The French gave them the name of "Iroquois,"
which was probably a corruption of one of their
own terms.
There is a well authenticated and disgraceful his
tory of the means by which the Dutch on one side
and the Mengwe on the other, succeeded in persuad.
ing the Lenape to lay aside their arms, trusting their
defence entirely to the latter, and becoming, in short,
in the figurative language of the natives, " women."
The policy on the part of the Dutch was a safe one,
however generous it may have been. From  that
moment may be dated the downfall of the greatest
and most civilized of the Indian nations, that existed
within the limits of the present United States. Robbed by the whites, and murdered and oppressed by
the savages, they lingered for a time around their
council-fire, but finally broke off in bands, and sought
refuge in the western wilds. Like the lustre of the
dying lamp, their glory shone the brightest as they
were about to become extinct.
Much more might be said concerning this interesting people, especially of their later history, but it is
delieved not to be essential to the plan of the present
work. Since the death of the pious, the venerable,
and the experienced Heckewelder, a fund of infor
mation of this nature has been extinguished, which,
it is feared, can never again be collected in one indi
vidual.  He laboured long and ardently in their be
half, and not less to vindicate their fame than to im —
prove their moral condition.
With this brief introduction to his subject, thenm




V.II              PBREFACE
the. authoi commits his book to the reader. As, how
ever, candour, if not justice, requires such a decla
ration at his hands, he will advise all young ladies,
who~e ideas are usually limited by the four walls of
a comfortable drawing room; all single gentlemen,
of a certain age, who are under the influence of the
winds; and all clergymen, if they have the volumes
in hand, with intent to read them, to abandon the
design. He gives this. advice to such young ladies,
because, after they have read the book, they will
Surely.pronounce it shocking; to the bachelors, as
it.-might disturb. their sleep; and to the reverend:lerigy, because- they might be better employed.




LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
CHAPTER I.
Mine ear is open, and my heart prepared,
The worst is worldly loss thou canst unfold -
Say, is my kingdom lost?  Shakspeare.
IT was a feature peculiar to the colonial wars
of North America, that the toils and dangers of
the wilderness were to be encountered, before
the adverse hosts could meet in murderous contact.  A wide, and, apparently, an impervious
boundary of forests, severed the possessions of
the hostile provinces of France and England.
The hardy colonist, and the trained European
who fought at his side, frequently expended
months in struggling against the rapids of the
streams, or in effecting the rugged passes of the
mountains, in quest of an opportunity to exhibit
their courage in a more martial conflict.  But,
emulating the patience and self-denial of the prac
tised native warriors, they learned to overcome
every difficulty; and it would seem, that in time,
there was no recess of the woods so dark, nor
any secret place so lovely, that it might claim
exemption  from  the inroads of those who had
pledged their blood to satiate their-vengeance,
or to uphold the cold and selfish policy of the.
distant monarchs of Europe.




o1               THE LAST OF
Perhaps no district, throughout the wide extent
of the intermediate frontiers, can furnish a livelier picture of the cruelty and fierceness of the
savage warfare of those periods, than the country which lies between the head waters of the
Hudson and the adjacent lakes.
The facilities which nature had there offered
to the march of the combatants, were too obvious
to be neglected.  The lengthened sheet of the
Champlain stretched from the frontiers of Canada,
deep within the borders of the neighbouring
province of New-York, forming a natural passage across half the distance that the French
were compelled to master in order to strike their
enemie r Near its southern termination, it received tie contributions'of another lake, whose
waters were so limpid, as to have been exclusively selected by the Jesuit missionaries, to perform  the typical purification of baptism, ard to
obtain for it the appropriate title of " Saint Sacr6ment."  The less zealous English thought they
conferred a sufficient honour on its unsullied fountains, when they bestowed the name of their
reigning prince, the second of the House of Hanover.  The two united to rob the untutored possessors of its wooded scenery of their native right
to perpetuate its original appellation of " Horican."
Winding its way among countless islands, and
imbedded in mountains, the " holy lake" extended a dozen leagues still farther to the south.
With the high plain that there interposed itself
to the further passage of the water, commenced
a portage of as many miles, which conducted the
adventurer to the banks of the Hudson, at a point,
where, with the usual obstructions of the rapids,
or rifts, as they were then termed in the language




THE MOHICANS.               1 
of the country, the river became navigable to the
tide.
While, in the pursuit of their daring plans of
annoyance, the restless enterprise of the French
even attempted the distant and difficult gorges
of the Alleghany, it may easily be imagined that
their proverbial acuteness would not overlook the
natural advantages of the district we have just
described.  It became, emphatically, the bloody
arena, in which most of the battles for the mastery of the colonies were contested. Forts were
erected at the different points that commanded
the facilities of the route, and were taken and
retaken, rased and rebuilt, as victory smiled, or
expediency dictated.  While the husbandmen
shrunk back from the dangerous passes, within
the safer boundaries of the more ancient settlements, armies larger than those that had often
disposed of the sceptres of the mother countries,
were seen to bury themselves in these forests,
whence they never re-issued but in skeleton
oands, that were haggard with care, or dejected
by defeat.  Though the arts of peace were unknown to this fatal region, its forests were alive
with men; its glades and glens rang with the
sounds of martial music, and the echoes of its
mountains threw back the laugh, or repeated the
wanton cry, of many a gallant and reckless youth,
as he hurried by them, in the noontide of his
spirits, to slumber in a long night of forgetfulness.
It was in this scene of strife and bloodshed, that
the incidents we shall attempt to relate occurred,
during the third year of the war which England
and France last waged, for the possession of a
country, that, happily, neither was destined to
retain.




12               THE LAST Of
The imbecility of her military leaders abroad,
and the fatal want of energy in her councils:at
home, had-lowered the character of Great Britain
from  the proud elevation on which it had been
placed by;the talents and enterprise of her former
warriors and statesmen.  No longer dreaded by
her enemies, her servants were fast losing the
salutary eonidence of self-respect., In this mortifying abasement, the colonists, though innocent
of her imbecility, and too humble to be the agents
of her blunders, were but the natural participatorsi
They had recently seen a chosen army, from that
country, which, reverencing as a mother, they
had fondly believed invincible-an army led by
a chief who had been' selected from a crowd of
trained warriors for his rare military endowments,
disgracefully routed by a handful of French and
Indians, and only saved from annihilation by the
coolness and spirit of a Virginian boy, whose
riper fame has since diffused itself, with the
steady influence' of moral truth, to the uttermost
confines of Christendom.  A  wide frontier had
been laid naked by this unexpected disaster,
and' more substantial evils were' preceded by a
thousand fanciful and imaginary dangers.  The
alarmed colonists believed that the yells of the
savages mingled -with every fitful gust of wind
that issued from the interminable forests of the
west.-, The terrific character of their merciless
enemiesy' increased, immeasurably, the natural
horrors of warfare. Numberless recent massacres
were still vivid: in their reeollections; nor was
there, any ear, in the provinces, so deaf as not to
have drunk in -with avidity the narrative of some
fearful tale of midnight murder,; in which the
natives of the forests -were the,principal and barbarous actors.  As the credulous and excited




THE MOHICANS.                13
traveller related the hazardous chances of the
wilderness, the blood of the timid curdled with
terror, and mothers cast anxious glances even at
those children which slumbered within the security cf the largest towns.  In short, the magnifying influence of fear began to set at nought the
calculations of reason, and render those who
should have remembered  their manhood, the
slaves of the basest of passions.  Even the most
confident and the stoutest hearts, began to think.
the issue of the contest was becoming' doubtful;
and that abject class was hourly increasing in
numbers, who'thought they foresaw all the possessions of the English crown in America, subdued. by their Christian foes, or laid waste by the
inroads of their relentless allies.
Whern, therefore, intelligence was received at
the fort which covered the southern termination
of the portage between the Hudson and the lakes,
that  Montcalm  had been seen moving: up the
Champlain with an army  "numerous as the
leaves on the trees," its truth was admitted with
more of the craven reluctance of those who courl
thie arts of peace, than with the stern joy that a
warrior should feel, in finding an enemy within
reach of his blow.  The news had been brought
towards the;decline of a day in midsummer, by
an Indian runner, that also bore an urgent request
firom Munro, who commanded the work on the
shore.of thie'"holy  lake," for a speedy and
powerful reinforcement.  It has already been
mentioned, that the distance betweeni thesestwo
posts was less than five leagues.  The rude path
which originally formed their line of communication, had been widened: for the' passage of
wagotis so' that theis distanc hich. had been trareJled'by the son of-the forest in- two hours,
B




14              THE LAST OF
might easily be effected by a detachment of
troops, with their necessary baggage, between
the rising and setting of a summer sun.  The
loyal servants of the British crown had given to
one of these forest fastnesses the name of William
Henry, and to the other that of Fort Edward;
calling each after a favourite prince of the reigning family. The veteran Scotchman, just named,
h.ld the first, with a regiment of regulars and a
few provincials, a force, really, by far too small
to make head against the formidable power that
Montcalm was leading to the foot of his earthen
mounds. At the latter, however, lay Gen. Webb,
who commanded the armies of the king in the
northern provinces, with a body of more than five
thousand men.  By uniting the several detachmehts of his command, this officer might have
arrayed nearly double that number of com.4tants
against the enterprising Frenchman, who had
ventured so far from his reinforcements, with an
army but little superior in numbers.
But, under the influence of their degraded fortunes, both officers and men appeared better disposed to await the approach of their formidable
antagonist within their works, than to resist the
progress of their march, by emulating the successful example of the French at Fort du Quesne,
and striking a blow on their advance.
After the first surprise of the intelligence had
a little abated, a rumour was spread through the
intrenched camp, which stretched along the margin of the Hudson, forming a chain of outworks
to the body of the fort itself, that a chosen detachment of fifteen hundred men was to depart with
the dawn for William  Henry, the post at the
northern extremity of the portage.  That which
at first was only rumour, soon became certainty




THE MOHICANS.               15
as orders passed from the quarters of the commander-in-chief to the several corps he had selected for this service, to prepare for their speedy
departure. All doubt as to the intention of Webb
now vanished, an( an hour or two of hurried
footsteps and anxious faces succeeded.  The novice in the military art flew from point to point,
retarding his own preparations by the excess of
his violent and somewhat distempered zeal; while
the more practised veteran made his arrangements
with a deliberation that scorned every appearance
of haste; though his sober lineaments, and anxious
eye,*sufficiently betrayed that he had no very
strong professional relish for the, as yet, untried
and dreaded warfare of the wilderness.   At
length the sun set in a flood of glory behind the
distant western hills, and as darkness drew its
veil around the secluded spot, the sounds of preparation diminished; the last light finally disappeared from  the log cabin of some officer; the
trees cast their deeper shadows over the mounds,
and the rippling stream, and a silence soon pervaded the camp, as deep as that which reigned
in the vast forest by which it was environed.
According to the orders of the preceding night,
the heavy sleep of the army was broken by the
rolling of the warning drums, whose rattling
echoes were heard issuing, on the damp morning
air, out of every vista of the woods, just as day
began to draw the shaggy outlines of some tall
pines of the vicinity, on the opening brightness
of-a soft and cloudless eastern sky. In an instant,
the whole camp was in motion; the meanest
soldier arousing from his lair to witness the departure of his comrades, and to share in the
excitement and incidents of the hour. The simple array of the chosen band was soon completed.




186':THE LAST OF
While the regular and trained hirelings o6f tie
king marched with ready haughtiness to the righi
of the line, the less pretending colonists took
their humbler position on its left, with a docility
that long practice had rendered easy,  The scouts
departed; strong guards preceded and: followed
the lumbering vehicles that bore the baggage;
and before the gray light of the morning was
mellowed by the rays of the rising sun, the main
body of the combatants wheeled into column,
and left- the encampment with a show of high
military bearing, that served to drown the slumbering apprehensions of many a novice, who'was
now about to make his first essay in ar:mns. While
in- view of their admiring comrades, the same
proud front and ordered array was observed,
until the notes of their fifes growing fainter in
distance, the forest at'length appeared to swallow
up the living mass which -had slowly entered its
bosom.
TFhe deepest sounds of the retiring and invisible column had ceased to be borne on the breeze
to the listeners, and the latest straggler had already disappeared in pursuit, but there ptill remained the signs of another departure, before a
log cabin of unusual size and accommodations, in
front of which those sentinels paced their rounds,
who were known to guard the person of the
English general.  At this spot were gathered
some half dozen horses, caparisoned in a manner
which showed that two, at least, were destined
to' bear the persons of females, of a rank that it
was not usual to meet so far in the wilds of the
country. A third wore the trappings and arms of
an officer of the staff; while the rest, from the
plainness of the housings, and the travelling
mails with which they were encumbered, were




THE MOHICANS.               17
evidently fitted for the reception of as many
menials, who were, seemingly, already awaiting
the convenience or pleasure of those they served.:
At a respectful distance from this unusual show,
were gathered divers groups of- curious idlers;
some admiring the blood and bone of the highmettled military charger, and others gazing at
the preparations with the dull wonder of vulgar
curiosity.  There was one man, however, who,
by his countenance and actions, formed a marked
exception to those who composed the latter class
of spectators, being neither idle, nor seemingly
very ignorant
The person of this remarkable individual was
to the last degree ungainly, without being in any
particular manner deformed. He had all the
bones and joints of other men, without any of
their proportions. Erect, his stature surpassed
that of his fellows; though, seated, he appeared
reduced within the ordinary limits of our race.
The same contrariety in his members, seemed to
exist throughout the whole man.  His head was
large; his shoulders narrow; his arms long and
dangling; while his hands were small, if not delicate.  His legs and thighs were thin nearly to
emaciation, but of extraordinary length; and his
knees would' have been considered tremendous,
had they not been outdone by the broader foundations on which this false superstructure of
blended human orders, was so profanely reared.
The ill-assorted and injudicious attire of the individual only served to render his awkwardness
more conspicuous. A sky-blue coat, with short
and broad skirts and low cape, exposed a long
thin neck, and longer and thinner legs, to the
worst animadversions of the evil disposed. His
nethei garment was of yellow nankeen, closely
B2




18e        TTHE LAST 0V
fitted to the shape, and tied at his bunches of
knees by large knots of white ribbon, a good
deal sullied by use. Clouded cotton stockings,
and shoes, on one of the latter of which was a
plated spur, completed the costume of the lower
extremity of this figure, no curve or angle of
which was concealed, but, on the other hand,
studiously exhibited, through the vanity or simplicity of its owner. From beneath the flap of an
enormous pocket of a soiled vest of embossed
silk, heavily ornamented with tarnished silver
lace, projected an instrument, which, from being
seen in such martial company, might have been
easily mistaken for some mischievous and unknown implement of war.  Small as it was, this
uncommon engine had excited the curiosity of
most of the Europeans in the camp, though several of the provincials were seen to hande-it, not
only without fear, but with the utmost familiarity. A large civil cocked hat, like those worn by
clergymen within the last thirty years, surmounted the whole, furnishing dignity to a good natured, and somewhat vacant countenance, that
apparently needed such artificial aid to support
the gravity of some high and extraordinary trust.
While the common herd stood aloof from the
gathering group of travellers, in deference to the
sacred precincts of the quarters of Webb, the
figure we have described stalked into the centre
of the domestics, who were in waiting with the
horses, freely expressing his censures or com
mendations on the merits of the latter, as by
chance they displeased or satisfied his judgment
" This beast, I rather conclude, friend, is not
of home raising, but is from foreign lands, or
perhaps from the little island itself, over the blue
water?" he said, in a voice as remarkable for




TBE MOHICANS.              19
the softness and sweetness of its tones, as was
his person tor its rare proportions: "I may
speak of these things and be no braggart, for I
have been down at both havens; that which is
situate at the mouth of Thames, and is named
after the capital of Old England, and that which
is called' Haven,' with the addition of the word'New;' and have seen the snows and brigandnes collecting their droves, like the gathering to
the ark, being outward bound to the island of
Jamaica, for the purpose of barter and traffic in
four-footed animals; but never before have I
beheld a beast which verified the true scripture
war-horse like this;'He paweth in the valley,
and rejoiceth in his strength; he goeth out to
m'et the armed men.''He saith amolg the
trumpets, ha ha! and he smelleth the battle afar
off; the thunder of the captains and the shouting.'-It would seem that the stock of the horse
of Israel has descended to our own time; would
it not, friend?"
Receiving no reply to this extraordinary appeal, which, in truth, as it was delivered with all
the vigour of full and sonorous tones, merited
some sort of notice, he who had thus sung forth
the language of the holy book, turned to the
silent figure to whom he had unwittingly addressed himself, and found a new and more powerful
subject of admiration in the object that encountered his gaze. His eyes fell on the still, upright, and rigid form of the "Indian runner,"
who had borne to tife camp the unwelcome
tidings of the preceding evening. Although in
a state of perfect repose, and apparently disregarding, with characteristic stoicism, the excitement and bustle around him, there was a sullen
fierceness mingled with the quiet of the savage,




20                THE LAST O(
that was likely to arrest the attention of much
more experienced eyes, than those which now
scanned him, in unconcealed amazement.  The
native bore both the tomahawk and knife of his
tribe; and yet his appearance was not altogethel
that of a warrior. On the contrary, there was an
air of heglect about his person, like that which
might have proceeded from great and recent ex.
ertion, which he had not yet found leisure to repair.  The cole -rs of the war-paint had blended
in dark confusion about his fierce countenance,
and rendered his swarthy lineaments still more
savage and repulsive, than if art had attempted
an effect, which had been thus produced by
chance. His eye, alone, which glistened like a
fiery star amid lowering clouds, was to be seen
in its state of native wildness.  For a single instant, his searching, and yet wary glance, met
1he wondering look  of the other, and then
changing its direction, partly in cunning, and
partly in disdain, it remained fixed, as if penetrating the distant air.
It is impossible to say what unlooked for re
mark this short and silent communication, between two such singular men, might have elicited
from the tall white man, had not his active curiosity been again drawn to other objects. A gene
ral movement amongst the domestics, and a low
sound of gentle voices, announced the approach
of those whose presence was wanted, in order to
enable the cavalcade to move. The simple admirer of the war-horse instantly fell back to a
low, gaunt, switch-tailed mare, that was uncon
sciously gleaning the faded herbage of the camp,
nigh by, where, leaning with one elbow on the
blanket that concealed an apology for a saddle, he
became a spectator of the departure, while a foal




THE MOHICANS.              21
wIsq quietly making its morning repast, on the
opposite side of the same animal.
A young man, in the livery of the crown, conduicted to their steeds two females, who, it was
apparent by their dresses, were prepared to en*
counter the fatigues of a journey in the woods.
One,: and she.was the most juvenile in her ap.
pearanrce, though both were young, permitted
glimpses of her dazzling complexion, fatr golden
hair, and- bright blue eyes, to be caught,?as she
artlessly suffered the morning air to- blow aside
the green veil,- which descended low from  her
beaver..The flush which still lingered above the
pines in the western sky, was not more bright
nor delicate than the bloom on her cheek; nor
was the opening day more cheering than the animated smile which she bestowed on the youth,
as he:assisted her into the saddle.  The other,
who appeared to share equally in the attentions
of.the young officer, concealed her charms from
the gaze of.the soldiery with a studious care,
that seemed better fitted to. the experience of four
or. five additional years.: It could be seen, however, that-her person, -though moulded with the
same exquisite proportions, of which none of the
graces were lost by the travelling dress she wore,
was rather fuller and more mature than that cf
her companion.
No sooner were these females seated, than
their attendant sprang lightly into the saddle of
the war-horse, when the whole three bowed to
Webb, who, in courtesy, awaited their parting
on the threshold of his cabin, and turning their
horses' heads, they proceeded at a slow amble,
followed by their train, towards the northern
entrance of the encampment. As they traversed
that short distance, not a voice was heard amongst




22               THE LAST OF
them; but a slight exclamation proceeded from
the younger of the females, as the Indian runner glided by her, unexpectedly, and led the way
along the military road in her front. Though
this sudden and startling movement of the Indian, produced no sound from the other, in the
surprise, her veil also was allowed to open its
folds, and betrayed an indescribable look of pity,
admiration and horror, as her dark eye followed
the easy motions of the savage. The tresses of
this lady were shining and black, like the plu
mage of the raven.  Her complexion was not
brown, but it rather appeared charged with the
colour of the rich blood, that seemed ready to
burst its bounds.  And yet there was neither
coarseness, nor want of shadowing, in a counte.
nance that was exquisitely regular and dignified,
and surpassingly beautiful. She smiled, as if in
pity at her own momentary forgetfulness, discovering ny the act a row of teeth that would have
shamed, by their dazzling whiteness, the purest
ivory; when, replacing the veil, she bowed her
face, and rode in silence, like one whose thoughts
were abstracted fr m the scene around her.




CHAPTER II.
Sola, sola, wo ha, ho, sola!-Shakspeare.
WHII.E one of the lovely beings we have so
cursorily presented to the reader, was thus lost in
thought, the other quickly recovered from the
slight alarm which induced the exclamation, and,
laughing at her own weakness, she inquired playfully of the youth who rode by her side-.
"'Are such spectres frequent in the woods,
Heyward; or is this sight an especial entertain
ment, ordered in our behalf. If the latter, gratitude must close our mouths; but if the former,
both Cora and I shall have need to draw largely
on that stock of hereditary courage of which we
boast, even before we are made to encounter the
redoubtable Montcalm."
" Yon Indian is a'runner' of our army, and,
after the fashion of his people, he may be accounted a hero," returned the young officer, to
whom she addressed herself —" He has volunteered to guide us to the lake, by a path but little
known, sooner than if we followed the tardy
movements of the column; and, by consequence,
more agreeably."
" I like him not," said the lady, shuddering,
partly in assumed, yet more in real terror. " You
know him, Duncan, or you would not trust your
self so freely to his keeping?"
"Say, rather, Alice, that I would not trust
you," returned the young man, impressively; "I
do know him, or he would not have my confidence, and least of all, at this moment.  He -is
said to be a Canadian, too; and yet he served with




24              THE LAST OF
our friends the Mohawks, who, as you know, are
one of the six allied riations.  He was brought
amongst us, as I have heard, by some strange
accident, in which your father was interested,
and in which the savage was rigidly dealt bybut I forget the idle tale; it is enough, that he is
now our friend."
" If he has been my father's enemy, I like him
still less!" exclaimed the now really anxious
maiden.  " Will you not speak to him, Major
Heyward, that I may hear his tones? Foolish
though it may be, you have often heard me avow
my faith in the tones of the human voice'!
"It would be in vain; and answered, most
probably, by an ejaculation.  Though he may
understand it, he affects, like most-of his people,
to be ignorant of the English;- and leastof all,
will he condescend to speak it, now that war demands the utmost exercise of his dignity.  Bitt
he stops; the private path by which we are to
journey is, doubtless, at hand. "
The conjecture of Major Heyward was true.
When they reached the spot where the Indianstood, pointing into the thicket that fringed the
military road. a narrow'and blind path, which
might, with some little inconvenience, receive
one person at a time, became visible.
"Here, then, lies our way," said the young
man, in a low voice.  " Manifest no distrust, or
you may invite the danger you appear to appre
hend."
" Cora, what think yout" asked the reluctant
fair one. "If we journey with the-troops, though
we may find their presence irksome, shall we: not
feel better assurance of our safety?"
"Being little accustomed to the practices of
the savages, Alice, you mistake the place of real




THE MOHICANS.               25
danger," said Heyward. " If enemies have reach
ed.the portage at all, a thing by no means probable, as our scouts are abroad, they will surely
be found skirting the column, where scalps abound
the most  The rout of the detachment is known,
while ours, having: been determined within the
hour, must still be secret."
Should we distrust the man, because his man
ners are not our manners, and that his skin is
dark!" coldly asked Cora.
Alice hesitated no longer; but giving her Narraganset a smart cut of the whip, she was the first
to dash aside the slight branches of the bushes,
and to follow the runner along the dark and tan
gled path-way. The young man regarded the
last speaker in open admiration, and even per.
mitted her fairer, though certainly not more beau.
tiful companion,/to proceed unattended, while hi,
sedulously opened a way himself, for the passage:,
of her. who has been called Cora.  It would seen
that the domestics had been previously instruct.
ed; for, instead of penetrating the. thicket, they
followed the route of the column; a measure,
which Heyward stated, had been dictated by the
sagacity of their guide, in order to diminish the
marks of their trail, if, haply, the Canadian savages should be lurking so far in advance of their
army. For many minutes, the intricacy of their
route admitted of no further dialogue; after which
they emerged from the broad border of under
blush, which grew along the line of the highway,
and entered under.the high, but dark arches of the
forest,. Here, their progress was less interrupted;
and the instant their gu:de perceived that the
females could conmmand their steeds, he moved
on, et a.pace between a trot and a walk; and at a
rate which kept the sure-footed and:peculiar aniC




So2              THE LAST OF
mals they irode, at a fast, and yet easy amble
The youth had turned, to speak to the dark-eyed
Cora, when the distant sounds of horses' hoofs,
clattering over the roots of the broken way:n his
rear, caused him to check his charger; and as his
companions drew their reins at the same instant,
the whole party came to a halt, in order to ob
tain an explanation of the unlooked for inter
rupti6n.
In a few moments, a colt was seen gliding,
like a fallow deer, amongst the straight trunks of
the pines; and in another instant, the person o
the ungainly man, described in the preceding
chapter, came into view, with as much rapidity
as he could excite his meagre beast to endure, without coming to an open rupture.  In their short
passage from the quarters of Webb to their attendants, no opportunity had been furnished the travellers to look upon the personage who now  approached them. If he possessed the power to
arrest any wandering eye, when exhibiting the
glories of his altitude on foot, his equestrian
graces were quite as observable. Notwithstanding a constant application of his one armed heel
to the flanks of the mare, the most confirmed
gait that he could establish, was a Canterbury gallop with the hind legs, in which those more forward assisted for doubtful moments, though gen
erally content to maintain a lopeing trot. Perhaps
the rapidity of the changes from one of these
paces to the other, created an optical illusion,
which might thus magnify the powers of the beast,
for it is -certain that Heyward, who possessed a
true eye for the merits of a horse, was unable, with
his utmost ingenuity, to decide, by what sort of
movement his pursuer worked his Sinuous way
on his footsteps, with such persevering hardihood.




THE MOHICANS.               27
The industry and movements -f the rider were
not less remarkable than those ot the ridden. At
each change in the evolutions of the latter, the former raised his tall person in the stirrups; producing, in this manner, by the undue elongation
of his legs, such sudden growths and diminishlngs
of the stature, as baffled every conjecture that
might be made as to his character. If to this be
added the fact, that in consequence of the ex parte
application of the spur, one side of the mare appeared to journey faster than the other; and that
the aggrieved flank was resolutely indicated, by
unremitted flourishes of her bushy tail, we finish
the picture of both horse and man.
The frown which had gathered around the
handsome, open, and manly brow of Heyward,
gradually relaxed, and his lips curled into a slight
smite, as he regarded the stranger. Alice made
no very powerful effort to control her merriment,
and even the dark, thoughtful eye of Cora, lighted
with a humour that, it would seem, the habit,
rather than the nature of its mistress, repressed.
"Seek you any here?" demanded Heyward,
when the other had arrived sufficiently nigh to
abate his speed; " I trust you are no messenger
of evil tidings."
" Even so," replied the stranger, making diligent use of his triangular castor, to produce a
circulation in the (lose air of the woods, and
leaving his hearers in doubt, to which of the
young man's questions he responded; when, however, he had cooled his face, and recovered his
breath, he continued, " I hear you are riding to
William Henry; as I am journeying thither ard
nyself, I concluded good company would seem
consistent-to the wishes of both parties."' The division of voices would appear to ie




28             TTHE LAST OF'
uniustly measured," returned Heyward;'"We
are three, whilst you have no one'to consult but
yourself.":"Not more unjustly, than that one gallant
should be charged with the care and keeping of
two youthful ladies," said the other, with a manner divided between simplicity and vulgar repartee. " If, however, he be a true man, and they
true women, they will despite eaeh other's humour, and come over'to his opinion, in all matters of contradictory opinions; so you have no
more to consult than I!"
The fair maiden dropped her laughing eyes to
the bridle of her filly, and the slight flush on her
cheek deepened to a rich bloom; while the glowing tints of her companion's colour altered even
to paleness, as she slowly rode ahead, like one
who already tired of the interview.
"lf you journey to the lake, you have mistaken' your rout," said Heyward, haughtily;
"the highway thither is at least half-a-mile behind you."
":Even so," returned the stranger, nothing
daunted by this cold reception;' I have tarried
at' Edward' a week, and I sh.ould be dumb, not
to have inquired the road I was to journey; and
if dumb, there would be an end to my calling.'
After simpering in a small way, like one whose
modesty prohibited a more open expression of his
admiration of a witticism, that was perfectly unintelligible to his hearers, he continued, with becoming gravity, " It is not prudent for one of my
profession to be too familiar with those he has to
instruct; oir which reason, I follow not the linle
of the army: besides which, I conclude that a
gentleman of your character, has the best judgment in matters of way-faring; I have therefore




TBEE MOHICANS.              29
decided to Join company, in order that the ride
may he made agreeable, and partake of Social
communion."
" A most:arbitrary, if not ahasty decision!',
exclaimed Heyward, undecided whether to give
vent to his growing anger, or-to laugh aloud in the
other's face,:'But you speak of instruction, and
of a profession; are you an adjunct to the provin
cial corps, as a master of the noble science of defence and offence? or, perhaps, you a!reoneiw ho
draws lines and angles, under the pretenee of expounding the mathematics?'
The stranger regarded his interrogator a moment, in open wonder; and then, losing every
mark of self-satisfaction in. an expression of solemn
humility, he answered:
"Of ofeince, I hope there is none, to either
party::of defence, I make none-by God's good
mercy, having committed:no palpable sin,since
last entreating his pardoning grace.  I understand not your allusions about lines and angles;
and I leave expounding, to those who have been
called and set apart' for that holy office.  I lay
claim to no higher gift, than a small insight into
the glorious art of petition and thanksgiving, as
practised in.psalmody.
"The man is, most manifestly, a disciple of
Apollo," cried the amused Alice, who had re
covered from  her momentary embarrassment,' andI take him;under my own especial proteetion.  Nay, throw aside that frown, Heyward,
and, in pity to my longing ears, suffer him  to
iourney in our trains  Besides,' she added, in
a low and hurried vice, casting a glance at the
distant -Cora, who slowly followed: the foosteps
of their silent but sullen guide,. it may be a
friend added.to.our strength in. time of, need."
C X




3O               THE LAST OF
"Think you, Alice, that I would trust those 1
love by this secret path, did I imagine such need
could happen?"
"Nay, nay, I think not of it now; but this
strange man amuses me; and if he' hath music
in his soul,' let us not churlishly reject his company."  She pointed persuasively along the path,
with her riding whip, while their eyes met in
a look, which the young man lingered a moment
to prolong, then, yielding to her gentle influence, he clapt his spurs into his charger, and in,
a few bounds, was again at the side of Cora.
" I am glad to encounter thee, friend," continued the maiden, waving her hand to the stranger
to proceed, as she urged her Narraganset to renew its amble. "Partial relatives have almost
persuaded me, that I am not entirely worthless
in a duette myself; and we may enliven our wayfaring, by indulging in our favourite pursuit.
It might be of signal advantage to one, ignorant
as I, to hear the opinions and experience of a
master in the art."
"It is refreshing both to the spirits and to the
body, to indulge in psalmody, in befitting seasons," returned the master of song, unhesitatingly
complying with her intimation to follow; "and
nothing would relieve the mind more, than such
a consoling communion.  But Tour parts are altogether necessary to the perfection of melody.
You have all the manifestations of a soft and rich
treble; I can, by especial aid, carry a full tenor
to the highest letter; but we lack counter and
bass! Yon officer of the king, who hesitated to
admit me to his company, might fill the latter,
if one may judge from  the intonations of his
voice in common dialogue."
c"Judge not too rashly, from hasty and de




THE MOHICANS.               31
ceptive appearances," said the lady, smiling;
" though Major Heyward can assume such deep
notes, on occasion, believe me, his natural tones
are better fitted for a mellow tenor, than the bass
you heard."
"Is he, then, much practised in the art of
psalmody?" demanded her simple companior
Alice felt disposed to laugh, though she succeeded in suppressing the sounds of her merriment, ere she answered," I apprehend that he is rather addicted to
profane song.  The turmoils and chances of a
soldier's life, are but little fitted for the encouragement of more sober inclinations."
"Man's voice is given to him, like his other
talents, to be used, and not to be abused," said
her companion.  "None can say they have ever
known me neglect my gifts! I am thankful that,
though my boyhood may be said to have been
set apart, like the youth of the royal David, for.he purposes of music, no syllable of rude verse
has ever profaned my lips."
" You have, then, limited your efforts to sacred
song?"
"Even so.  As the psalms of David exceed
all other language, so does the psalmody that has
been fitted to them by the divines and sages ot
the land, surpass all vain poetry. Happily, I may
say, that I utter nothing but the thoughts and the
wishes of the King of Israel himself; for though
the times may call for some slight changes, yet
does this version, which we use in the colonies
of New-England, so much exceed all other versions, that, by its richness, its exactness, and its
spiritual simplicity, it approacbeth, as near as
may be, to the great work of the inspired writei
I never abide in any place, sleeping or wSking,




32        -       THE LAST OP
without an example of this gifted work.'Tis
the six-and-twentieth edition, promulgated at
Boston, Anno  Domini, 1744; and is entitled,' The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of the
Old and New  Testaments; faithfully translated
into English Metre, for the Use, Edification,
and Comfort of the Saints in Publick and Private
especially in New-England.''
~During this eulogium  on the rare production
of his native poets, the stranger had drawn, the
book from his pocket, and fitting a pair of iron —
rimmed spectacles to his nose, had opened the
volume with a care and veneration suited to its
sacred purposes..  Then, without circumlocution
or apology, first pronouncing the magical word,
Standish," and placing the unknown engine,
already described, to his mouth, from  which he
drew a high, shrill sound, that was followed by
an octave below, from  his own voice, he corn
menced singing the following words, in full,
sweet, and melodious tones, that set the music,
the poetry, and even the uneasy motion of his
ill-trained beast, at defiance:.
" How good it is, O see,,:
And how' it pleaseth well,.
Together, e'en in unity,
For brethren so to dwell.
It's like the choice' intment,' From head to th' beard did go:
Down Aaron's beard, that downward went,
His garment's skirts unto."
The delivery  of these skilful rhymes was
accompanied, on the part of the stranger, by a
regular rise and fall ofb his right hand, which terminated at the descent, by suffering the fingers
to dwell a' moment on the leaves of the little
volume; and on the ascent, by such a flourish of
the- member, as none but the initiated may eve




THE MOHICANS.                38
hope to imitate. It would seem, that long practiee had rendered this manual accompaniment
necessary; for it did not cease, until the significant preposition which the poet had so judiciously
selected for the close of his verse, had been duly
delivered in the fullest dignity of a word o' txo
syllables.
Such an innovation on the silence and retire
ment of the forest, could not fail to enlist the ears
of4those who journeyed at so short a distance in
advance.  The Indian muttered a few words in
broken English, to Heyward, who, in his turn,
spoke to the stranger; at once interrupting, and,
for the time, closing his musical efforts.
"Though we are not in danger, common prudence would teach us to journey through this
wilderness in as quiet a manner as is convenient.
You will, then, pardon me, Alice, should I diminish your enjoyments for a time, by requesting
this gentleman to postpone his chant until a safer
opportunity."
" You will diminish them, indeed," returned
the arch maiden, "for never did I hear a more
unworthy conjunction of execution and language,
than that to which I have been listening; and I
was far gone in a learned inquiry into the causes
of such an unfitness between sound and sense
when you broke the charm of my musings by
that bass of yours, Duncan!"
"I know  not what you call my bass," said
Hayward, evidently piqued at her remark, " but
1 know that your safety, and that of Cora, is far
dearer to me than could be any orchestra of
Handel's music."  He paused, and turned his
head quickly towards a thicket, and then bent
his eyes suspiciously on their guide, who continued his steady pace in undisturbed gravity




34       THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
The young man smiled contemptuously to him
self, as he believed he had mistaken some shining
bepry of the woods, for the glistening eye-balls ol
a prowling- savage, and he rode forward, continuing the conversation which had been thus
interrupted by the passing thought.
Major Hayward was mistaken only in suffering
his youthful and generous pride to suppress for a
single moment his active watchfulness. The cavalcade had not long passed, before the branches
of the bushes that formed the thicket, were cautiousty moved asunder, and a human visage, as
fiercely wild as savage art and unbridled passions
could make it, peered out on the retiring footsteps of the travellers. A gleam of exultation
shot across the darkly painted lineaments of the
inhabitant of the forest, as he traced the route ot
his intended victims, who rode unconsciously
onward; the light and graceful forms of the females waving among the trees, in the curvatures
of their path, followed at each bend by the manly
figure of Heyward, until, finally, the shapeless
person of the singing master was concealed behind
the numberless trunks of trees, that rose in dark
lines in the intermediate space.




CHAPTER IIL
Before these fields were shorn and tilled,
Full to the brim our rivers flowed;
The melody of waters filled
The fresh and boundless wood;
And torrents dashed, and rivulets played,
And fountains spouted in the shade.-Bryant.
LEAVING the unsuspecting Heyward, and his
confiding companions, to penetrate still deeper
into a forest that contained such treacherous inmates, we must use an author's privilege, and
shift the" scene a few miles to the westward of
the place where we have last seen them.
On that day, two men might be observed,
lingering on the banks of a small but rapid stream,
within an hour's journey of the encampment of
Webb, like those who awaited the appearance of
an absent person, or the approach of some expected event. The vast canopy of woods spread
itself to the margin of the river, overhanging the
water, and shadowing its dark glassy current with
a deeper hue.  The rays of the sun were beginning to grow less fierce, and the intense- heat of
the day was lessened, as the cooler vapours of
the springs and fountains rose above their leafy
beds, and rested in the atmosphere.  Still that
breathing silence, which marks the drowsy sultriness of an American landscape in July, per.
vaded the secluded spot, interrupted, only, by
the low  voices of the men in question, an occasional and lazy tap of a reviving wood-pecker,
the discordant cryy  of some gaudy jay, or a
swelling on the ear, from  the dull roar of a dis.
tant tvater-fall.




36-              TIE LAST OF
These feeble and broken sounds were, however, too familiar to the foresters, to draw their
attention from the more interesting matter of their
dialogue.  While one of these loiterers showed
the red skin and wild accoutrements of a native
of the woods, the other exhibited, through the
mask of his rude and nearly savage equipments,
the brighter, though sun-burnt and long-faded
complexion of one who might claim descent from
an European parentage.  The former was seated
on the end of a mossy log, in a posture that
permitted him to heighten the effect of his earnest
language, by the calm but expressive gestures of
an Indian, engaged in debate.  His body, which
was nearly naked, presented a terrific emblem of
death, drawn in intermingled iolours of white
and black.  His closely shaved head, on which
no other hair than the well known and chivalrous
scalping tuft was preserved, was without ornament of any kind, with the exception of a solitary
eagle's plume, that crossed his crown, and depended over the left shoulder. A tomahawk and
scalping-knife, of English manufacture, were in
his girdle; while a short military rifle, of that
sort with which the policy of the whites armed
their savage allies, lay carelessly across his bare
and sinewy knee.  The expanded chest, fullformed limbs, and grave colntenance of this warrior, would denote that he had reached the vigour
of his days, though no symptoms of decay appeared to have yet weakened his manhood.
The frame of the white man, judging by such
parts as were not concealed by his clothes, was
like that of one who had known hardships and
exertion from his earliest youth.  His person,
though muscular, was rather attenuated than full;
but every nerve and  ruscle appeared strung ald




THE MOHICANS.                 7'
indurated, by unremitted exposure and toil.  He
wore a hunting-shirt of forest-green, fringed with
faded yellow, and a summer cap, of skins which
had been shorn of their fur. He also bore a knife
in a girdle of wampum, like that which confined the scanty garnents of the Indian, but no
tomahawk. His moccasins were ornamented after
the gay fashion of the natives, while the only
part of his under dress which appeared below the
hunting frock, was a pair of buckskin leggings,
that laced at the sides, and were gartered above
the knees, with the sinews of a deer. A pouch
and horn completed his personal accoutrements,
though a rifle of a great length, which the theory
of the more ingenious whites had taught them,
was the most dangerous of all fire-arms, leaned
against a neighbouring sapling.  The eye of the
hunter, or scout, whichever he might be, was
small, quick, keen, and restless, roving while he
spoke, on every side of him, as if in quest of
game, or distrusting the sudden approach of some
lurking enemy.  Notwithstanding these symptoms of habitual suspicion, his countenance was
not only without guile, but at the moment at
which he is introduced was charged with an expression of sturdy honesty.
" Even your traditions make the case in my
favour, Chingachgook," he said, speaking in the
tongue' whichl was known to all the natives who
formerly inhabited the country between the Hudson ald the Potomack, and of which we shall givo
a free translation for the: benefit of the reader,
endeavouring, at the same time, to preserve some
of the peculiarities, both of the individual and ot
the language. "Your fathers came from the set,
tiag sun, crossed the big river, fought the people
of the colntry. and tookthe land"; and mine came
I)




38              THE LAST OF
from the redl sky of the morning, over the salt
lake, and did their work much after the fashion
that had been set them by yours; then let God
fudge the matter between us, and friends spare
their words!"
"My fathers fought with the naked red-man!'
returned the Indian, sternly, in the same lan
guage; "Is there no difference, Hawk-eye, be.
tween the stone-headed arrow of the warrior, and
the leaden bullet with which you kill?"
" There is reason in an Indian, though nature
has made him with a red skin!" said the white
man, shaking his head, like one on whom such
an appeal to his justice was not thrown away.
For a moment he appeared to be conscious of hav
ing the worst of the argument, then rallying again,
he answered to the objection of his antagonist in
the best manner his limited information would
allow: "I am. no scholar, and I care not who
knows it; but judging from what I have seen' at
deer chaces, and squirrel hunts, of the sparks
below, I should think a rifle in the hands of their
grandfathers, was not so dangerous as a hickory
bow, and a good flint-head might be, if drawn
with Indian judgment, and sent by an Indian
eye."
"You have the story told by your fathers,"
returned the other, coldly waving his hand, in
proud disdain.  "What say your old men? do
they tell the young warriors, that the pale-faces
met the red-men, painted for war and armed with
the stone hatchet or wooden gun?'
"I am  not a prejudiced man,'nor one who
vaunts himself on his natural privileges, though
the worst enemy I have on earth, and he is an
Iroquois, daren't deny that I am genuine white,
the scout replied, surveying, with secret satis



TQfE MOHICANS.               39
fCtion, th: faded colour ot his bony and sinewy
hand; " and I am willing to own that my people
lhave many ways, of which, as an honest man, 1
can't approve. It is one of their customs to write
in books what they have done and seen, instead of
telling them in their-villages, where the lie can be
given to the face of a cowardly boaster, and the
brave soldier can call on his comrades to witness
for the truth of his words. In consequence of this
had fashion, a man who is too conscientious to
mispend his days among the women, in learning
the names of black marks, may never hear of
the deeds of his fathers, nor feel a pride in striving
to outdo them.  For myself, I conclude all the
Bumppos could shoot; for I have a natural turn
with a rifle, which must have been handed down
from generation to generation, as our holy commandments tell us, all good and evil gifts are
bestowed; though I should be lott to answer for
other people in such a matter.  But every story
has its two sides; so I ask you, Chingachgook,
what passed when our fathers first met?"
A silence of a minute succeeded, during which
the Indian sat mute; then, full of the dignity of
his office, he commenced his brief tale, with a
solemnity that served to heighten its appearance
of truth.
" Listen, Hawk-eye, and your ears shall drink
no lies.'Tis what my fathers have said, and
what the Mohicans have done."  He hesitated a
single instant, and bending a cautious glance to
wards his companion, he continued in a manner
that was divided between interrogation and as
sertion-"~ does not this stream  at our feet, run
towards the summer, until its waters grow salt,
and the current flows upward?"
"It can't be denied, that your traditions tell,




40              THE LAST OF
you true in both these matters," said the white
man; " for I have been there, and have seen
them; though, why water, which is so sweet in
the shade, should become bitter in the sun, is an
alteration for which I have never been able to
account."
" And the current!" demanded the Indian,
who expected his reply with that sort of interest
that a man feels in the confirmation of testimony
at which he marvels even while he respects it;
" the fathers of Chingachgook have not lied!"
" The Holy Bible is not more true, and that is
the truest thing in nature. They call this upstream current the tide, which is a thing soon explained, and clear enough. Six hours the waters
run in, and six hours they run out, and the reason is this; when there is higher water in the sea
than in the river, it runs in, until the river gets
tb be highest, and then it runs out again."
"The waters in the woods, and on the great
lakes, run downward until they lie like my hand,'
said the Indian, stretching the limb horizontally
before him, " and then they run no more."
" No honest man will deny it," said the scout.
a little nettled at the implied distrust of his explanation of the mystery of the tides; "and I
grant that it is true on the small scale, and where
the land is level. But every thing depends on
what scale you look at things.  Now, on the
small scale, the'arth is level; but on the large
scale it is round. In this manner, pools and
ponds, and even the great fresh water lakes, may
be stagnant, as you and I both know they are,
having seen them; but when you come to spread
water over a great tract, like the sea, where the
e,.th 4s round, how in reason can the water he
quiet? You might as well expect the river to lie




THE MOHICANS.               41
still on the brink of those black rocks a mile.
above us, tlough your own ears tell you that it
is tumbling over them at this very moment!"
If unsatisfied by the philosophy of his companion, the Indian was far too dignified to betray
his unbelief. He listened like one who was convinced, and resumed his narrative in his former
solemn manner.
" We came from the place where the sun is hid
at night, over great plains where the buffaloes
live, until we reached the big river. There we
fought the Alligewi, till the ground was red with
their blood. From the banks of the big river to
the shores of the salt lake, there were none to
meet us.  The Maquas followed at a distance.
We said the country should be ours from  the
place where the water runs up no longer, on this
stream, to a river, twenty suns' journey toward
the summer.  The land we had taken like warriors, we kept like men. We drove the Maquas
into the woods with the bears. They only tasted
salt at the licks; they drew no fish from the great
lake: we threw them the bones."
" All this I have heard and believe," said the
white man, observing that the Indian paused;
"but it was long before the English came into
the country."
" A pine grew then, where this chesnut now
stands. The first pale faces who came among us
spoke no English.  They came in a large canue,
when my fathers had buried the tomahawk with
the red men around them.  Then, Hawk-eye,"
he continued, betraying his deep emotion, only
by permitting his voice to fall to those low, guttural tones, which render his language, as spokea
at tines, so very musical; " then, Hawk-eye, we
were one people, and we were happy. The salt
D 2




42                THE LAST OF
lake gave us its fish, the wood its deer, and the air
its birds. We took wives who bore us children;
we worshipped the Great Spirit; and we kept the
Maquas beyond the sound of our songs of triumph!"
" Know you any thing of your own family, at
that time?" demanded the white. "But you are
a just man for an Indian! and as I suppose you
hold their gifts, your fathers must have been
brave warriors, and wise men at the council
fire."'" My tribe is the grandfather of nations," said
the native, "but I am  an unmixed man.  The
blood of chiefs is in my veins, where it must
stay for ever. The Dutch landed, and gave my
people the fire-water; they drank until the heavens and the earth seemed to meet, and they foolishly thought they had found the Great Spirit.
Then they parted with their land. Foot by foot,
they were driven back from the shores, until I,
that am a chief and a Sagamore, have never seen
the sun shine but through the trees, and have
never visited the graves of my fathers."
"Graves bring solemn feelings over the mind,"
returned the scout, a good deal touched at the
calm suffering of his companion; " and often aid
a man in his good intentions, though, for myself,
I expect to leave my own bones unburied, to
bleach in the woods, or to be torn asunder by
the wolves. But where are to be found your race,
which came to their kin in the Delaware country,
so many summers since?"
"' Where are the blossoms of those summers!fallen, one by one:.o all of my family departed,
each in his turn, to the land of spirits. I am on
the hill-top, and must go down into the valley;
and when Uncas follows in my footsteps, theie




THE MOHICANS.               43
will no longer be any of the blood of the Sagamores, for my boy is the last of the Mohicans."
" Uncas is here." said another voice, in the
same soft, guttural tones, near his elbow; " who
wishes Uncas?"
1 he white man loosened his knife in its leathern sheath, and made an involuntary movement of the hand towards his rifle, at this sudden
Interruption, but the Indian sat composed, and
without turning  his head at the unexpected
sounds.
At the next instant, a youthful warrior passed
between them, with a noiseless step, and seated
himself on the bank of the rapid stream. No
exclamation of surprise escaped the father, nor
was any question made or reply given for several minutes, each appearing to await the moment; when he might speak, without betraying a
womanish curiosity or childish impatience. The
white man seemed to take counsel from  their
customs, and relinquishing his grasp of the rifle,
he also remained silent and reserved. At length
Chingachgook turned his eyes slowly towards
his son, and demanded"Do the Maquas dare to leave the print of
their moccasins in these woods?"
"I have been on their trail," replied the
young Indian, "and know that they number as
many as the fingers of my tivo hands; but they
aie hid like cowards."
" The thieves are outlying for scalps and plunder!" said the white man, whom  we shall call
Hawk-eye, after the manner of his companions.
"That busy Frenchman, Montcalm, will send
his spies into our very camp, but he will knoio
what road we travel!"
"'Tis enough!' returned the father, glancing




44                THE LAST OF
his eye towards the setting sun; " they shall be
driven like deer from their bushes.  Hawk-eye,
let us eat to-night, and show the Maquas that we
are men to-morrow."
" I am as ready to do the one as the other,"
replied the scout; " but to fight the Iroquois,'tis
necessary to find the skulkers; and to eat,'tls
I ecessary to get the game —talk of the devil and
lie will come; there is a pair of the biggest antlers I have seen this season, moving the bushes
helow the hill! Now, Uncas," he continued in a
half whisper, and laughing with a kind of inward sound, like one who had learnt to be watchful, " I will bet my charger three times full of
powder, against a foot of wampum, that I take
him atwixt the eyes, and nearer to the right than
to the left."
" It cannot be!" said the young Indian, springing to his feet with youthful eagerness; "all but
the tips of his horns are hid!"
" Ile's a boy!" said the white man, shaking
his head while he spoke, and addressing the father. " Does he think when a hunter sees a parl
of the creatur, he can't tell where the rest of him
should be!"
Adjusting his rifle, he was about to make an
exhibition of that skill, on which he so mucn
valued himself, when the warrior struck up the
piece with his hand, saying,
" Iawk-eye! will you fight the Maquas?"
" Tlese Indians know the nature of the woods.
as it might be by instinct!" returned the scout,
dropping his rifle, and turning away like a man
who was convinced of his error. " I must leave
the buck to your arrow, Uncas, or we may kill
a deer for them thieves, the Iroquois, to eat."
The instant the father seconded this intimation




THE MOHICANS.               45
by an expressive gesture of the hand, Uncas
threw himself on the ground, and approached the
animal with wary movements.  When, within a
few yards of the cover, he fitted an arrow to his
bow  with the utmost care, while the antlers
moved, as if their owner snuffed an enemy in the
tainted air. In another moment the twang of the
Dow was heard, a white streak was seen glancing
into the bushes, and the wounded buck plunged
from the cover, to the very feet of his hidden
enemy.  Avoiding the horns of the infuriated
animal, Uncas darted to his side, and passed his
knife across the throat, when bounding to the
edge of the river, it fell, dying the waters with
its blood to a great distance.
"'Twas done with Indian skill," said the scout,
laughing inwardly, but with vast satisfaction;
"and was a pretty sight to behold! Though an
arrow is a near shot, and needs a knife to finish
the work."''' Hukh!" ejaculated his companion, turning
quickly, like a hound who scented his game.
" By the Lord, there is a drove of them!" exclaimed the hunting scout, whose eyes began to
glisten with the ardour of his usual occupation;
" if they come within range of a bullet, I will
drop one, though the whole Six Nations should
be lurking within sound!  What do your hear,
Chingachgook? for to my ears the woods are
dumb. 
" There is but one deer, and he is dead," said
the Indian, bending his body, till his ear nearly
touched the earth. " I hear the sounds of feet!"
" Perhaps the wolves have driven that buck to
shelter, and are following in his trail."
" No. The horses of white men are coming!"
returned the other, raising himself with dignity




46      THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
and resuming his seat on the log with all his for.
mer composure. " Hawk-eye, they are your brothers; speak to them."
"That will I, and in English that the king
needn't be ashamed to answer," returned the
hunter, speaking in the language of which he
boasted; " but I see nothing, nor do I hear the
sounds of man or beast;'tis strange that an
Indian should understand white sounds better
than a man, who, his very enemies will own, has
no cross in his blood, although he may have
lived with the red skins long enough to be suspected! Ha! there goes something like the cracking of a dry stick, too-now I hear the bushes
move-yes, yes, there. is a tramping that I mistook for the falls-and-but here they come
themselves; God keep them from the Iroquois!'




CHAPTER IV.
Well, go thy way; thou shalt not from this grove,
Till I torment thee for this injury.
~Mid. Sum. Jight's Dream
THE words were still in the mouth of the sc out,
when the leader of the party, whose approaching
footsteps had caught the vigilant ear of the Indian, came openly into view.  A  beaten path,
such as those made by the periodical passage of
the deer, wounid through a little glen at no great
distance, and struck the rivet at the point where
the white man and his red companions had posted themselves. Along this track the travellers,
who had produced a surprise so unusual in the
depths of the forest, advanced slowly towards the
hunter, who was in front of his associates, in
readiness to receive them.
" Who comes?" demanded the scout, throwing
his rifle carelessly across his left arm, and keeping the fore finger of his right hand on the trigger, though he avoided all appearance of menace
in the act —"Who comes hither, among the
beasts and dangers of the wilderness?"
" Believers in religion, and friends to the law
and to the king," returned he who rode foremost
of the party.." Men who have journeyed since
the rising sun, in the shades of this forest, without nourishment, and are sadly tired of their
wayfaring."
" You are, then, lost," interrupted the hunter.
" and have found how helpless'tis not to know
whether to take the right hand or the left?"
"Even so; sucking babes are not more de



48              THE LAST OF
pendent on those who guide them, than we who
are of larger growth, and who may now be said
to possess the stature without the knowledge of
men. Know you the distance to a post of the
crown called William Henry?"
"Hoot!" shouted the scout, who did not spare
his open laughter, though, instantly checking the
dangerous sounds, he indulged his merriment at
less risk of being overheard by any lurking
enemies.  " You are as much off the scent es a
hound would be, with Horican atwixt him and
the deer! William  Henry, man! if you are
friends to the king, and have business with the
army, your better iway would be to follow the
river down to Edward, and lay the matter before
Webb; who tarries there, instead df pushing into
the defiles, and driving this saucy Frenchman
back across Champlain, into his den again."
Before the stranger could make any reply to
this unexpected proposition, another horsemar.
dashed the bushes aside, and leaped his charger
into the pathway in fiont of his companion.
"What, then, may be our distance from Fort
Edward?" demanded a new speaker; " the place
you advise us to seek we left this morning, and
our destination is the head of the lake."
"Then you must have lost your eyesight afore
losing your way, for the road across the portage
is cut to a good two rods, and is as grand a path,
I calculate, as any that runs into London, or even
before the palace of the king himself."
"We will not dispute concerning the excel
lence of the passage," returned Heyward, smiling,
for, as the reader has anticipated',it was he. "It
is enough, for the present, that Wi trusted to an
Indian guide to take us by a nearer, though blinder




THE MOHICANS.               49
path, and that we are deceived in his knowledge.
In plain words, we know not where we are."
"An Indian lost in the woods!" said the
scout, shaking his head doubtingly; "when the
sun is scorching the tree tops, and the water
cor, aes are full; when the moss on every beech
he sees, will tell him in which quarter the north
star will shine at night! Tho woods are full of
deer paths which run to the streams and licks,
places well known to every body; nor have the
geese done their flight to the Canada waters, altogether!'Tis strange that an Indian should be lost
atwixt Horican and the bend in the river! Is he
a Mohawk?"
" Not by birth, though he is adopted in that
tribe; I think his birth-place was farther north,
and he is one of those you call a Huron."
"Hugh!" exclaimed the two companions of
the scout, who had continued until this part ol
the dialogue, seated, immoveable, and apparently
indifferent to what passed, but who now sprang
to their feet with an activity and interest that had
evidently gotten the better of their reserve, by
surprise.
" A Huron!" repeated the sturdy scout, once
more shaking his head in open distrust; "they
are a thievish race, nor do I care by whom they
are adopted; you can never make any thing of
them  but skulks and vagabonds.  Since you
trusted yourself to the care of one of that nation,
I only wonder that you have not fallen in with
more."
"Of that there is little danger, since William
Henry is so many miles in our front. You forget
that I have told'you our guide is now a Mohawk,
and that he serves with our forces as a friend."
"And I tell you that he who is born a Mingo
E




50               THE LAST OF
will die a Mingo," returned the other, positively
"A  Mohawk! No, give me a Delaware or a
Mohican for honesty; and when they will fight,
which they won't all do, having suffered their
cunning enemies, the Maquas, to make them
women-hut when they will fight at all, look to
a Delaware or a Mohican for a warrior!"
" Enough of this," said Heyward, impatiently,
" I wish not to inquire into the character of a man
that I know, and to whom you must be a stranger.
You have not yet answered my question; what is
our distance from the main army at Edward?"
"It seems that may depend on who is your
guide.  One would think such a horse as that
might get over a good deal of ground atwixt
sun-up and sun-down."
" I wish no contention of idle words with you,
friend," said Heyward, curbing his dissatisfied
manner, and speaking in a more gentle voice;
" if you will tell me the distance to Fort Edward,
and conduct me thither, your labour shall not go
without its reward."
"And in so doing, how know I that I don't
guide an enemy, and a spy of Montcalm, to the
works of the army? It is not every man who can
speak the English tongue that is an honest subject."
" If you serve with the troops of whom I judgt
you to be a scout, you should know of such a
regiment of the king as the 60th."
" The 60th! you can tell me but little of the
Royal Americans that I don't know, though I do
wear a hunting shirt, instead of a scarlet jacket."
"Well, then, among other things, you may
know the name of its major?"
" Its major!" interrupted the hunter, elevating
his body like one who was proud of his trust




THE MOHICANS.               51
" If there is a man in the country who knows
Major Effingham, he stands before you."
"It is a corps which has many majors; the
gentleman you name is the senior, but I speak of
the junior of them  all; he who commands the
companies in garrison at William Henry."
"Yes, yes, I have heard that a young gentleman of vast riches, from one of the provinces far
south, has got the place. He is over young, too,
to hold such rank, and to be put above men whose
heads are beginning to bleach; and yet they say
he is a soldier in his knowledge, and a gallant
gentleman!"
" Whatever lie may be, or however he may be
qualified for his rank, he now speaks to you, and
of course can be no enemy to dread."
The scout regarded Heyward a moment in surprise, and then lifting his cap, he answered, in a
tone less confident than before-though still expressing doubt" I have heard a party was to leave the encampment, this morning, for the lake shore?"
" You have heard the truth; but I preferred a
nearer route, trusting to the knowledge of the
Indian I mentioned."' And he deceived you, and then deserted?"
" Neither, as I believe; certainly not the latter,
for he is to be found in the rear."
" I should like to look at the creatur; if it is
a true Iroquois I can tell him by his knavish look,
and by his paint," said the scout, stepping past
the charger of Heyward, and entering the path
behind the mare of the singing master, whose
foal had taken advantage of the halt to exact the
maternal contributions.  After shoving aside the
bushes, and proceeding a few paces, he encountered the females, who awaited the result of the




52              THE LAST OF
conference with anxiety, and not entirely without
apprehension.  Behind these, again, the runner
leaned against a tree, where he stood the close
examination of the scout with an air unmoved,
though with a look so dark and savage, that it
might in itself excite fear.  Satisfied with his
scrutiny, the hunter soon left him. As he repassed the females, he paused a moment to gaze
upon their beauty, answering to the smile and
nod of Alice with a look of open pleasure.
Thence he went to the side of the motherly animal, and spending a minute in a fruitless inquiry
into the character of her rider, he shook his head
and returned to Heyward. "A Mingo is a Mingo,
and God having made him  so, neither the Mohawks nor any other tribe can alter him," he
said, when he had regained his former position.
" If we were alone, and you would leave that
noble horse at the mercy of the wolves to-night,
I could show you the way to Edward myself
within an hour, for it lies only about an hour's
journey hence; but with such ladies in your company,'tis impossible!"
" And why'? they are fatigued, but are quite
equal to a ride of a few more miles."
"'Tis a natural impossibility!" repeated the
scout, with a determined air. " I wouldn't walk
a mile in these woods after night gets into them,
in company with that runner, for the best rifle in
the colonies. They are full of outlying Iroquois,
and your mongrel Mohawk knows where to find
them too well, to be my companion."
" Think you so," said Heyward, leaning foi
ward in the saddle, and dropping his voice nearly
to a whisper; " I confess I have not been without
my own suspicions, though I have endeavoured
to conceal them, and affected a confidence T have




THE MOHICANS.               53
not always felt, on account of my companions.
It was because I suspected him, that I would
follow no longer; making him, as you see, follow
me."
" I knew he was one of the cheats as soon as
[ laid eyes on him!" returned the scout, placing
his finger on his nose in sign of caution.  " The
thief is leaning against the foot of the sugar sapling that you can see over them bushes; his right
leg is in a line with the bark of the tree, and,"
tapping his rifle, "I can take him, from where I
stand, between the ancle and the knee, with a
single shot, putting an end of his tramping
through the woods for at least a month to come.
If I should go back to him, the cunning varmint
would suspect something, and be dodging through
the trees like any frightened deer."
" It will not do. He may be innocent, and I
dislike the act. Though, if I felt confident of his
treachery""'Tis a safe thing to calculate on the knavery
of an Iroquois,' said the scout, throwing his rifle
forward, by a sort of instinctive movement.
" Hold!" interrupted Heyward; " it will not
do-we must think of some other scheme;-and
yet, I have much reason to believe the rascal has
deceived me."
The hunter, who had already abandoned his
intention to maim the runner, at the orders of his
superior, mused a moment, and then made a gesture, which instantly brought.his two red companions to his side. They spoke together earnestly
in the Delaware language, though in an under
tone, and by the gestures of the white man, which
were frequently directed towards the top of the
sapling, it was evident he pointed om  the situation of their hidden enemy.  His companions
E 2




54               THE LAST OF
were not long in comprehending his wishes, and
laying aside their fire-arms, they parted, taking
opposite sides of the path, and burying themselves in the thicket, with such cautious movements, that their steps were inaudible.
"Now go you back," said the hunter, speaking
again to Heyward, "and hold the imp in talk;
these Mohicans here, will take him, without
breaking his paint."
" Nay," said Heyward, proudly, "I will seize
him myself."
" Hist! what could you do, mounted, against
an Indian, in the bushes?"
" But I will dismount."
"And, think you, when he saw one of your
feet out of the stirrup, he would wait for the
other to be free! Whoever comes into the woods
to deal with the natives, must use Indian fashions,
if he would wish to prosper in his undertakings.
Go, then; talk openly to the miscreant, and seem
to believe him the truest friend you have on'arth."
Heyward prepared to comply, though with
strong disgust at the nature of the office he was
compelled to execute.  Each moment, however
pressed upon him  a conviction of the critical
situation in which he had suffered his invaluable
trust to be involved, through his. own fearless
confidence.  The sun had already disappeared,
and the woods, suddenly deprived of his light,
were assuming a dusky hue, which keenly reminded him, that the hour the savage usually
chose for his most barbarous and remorseless acts
of vengeance or hostility, was speedily drawing
at hand.  Stimulated by these quickened apprehensions, he left the scout, without reply, who
immediately entered into a loud conversation
with the stranger that had so unceremoniously




THE MOHICANS.                55
enlisted himself in the party of the travellers
Tnat morning. In passing his gentler companions,
Heyward uttered a few,words of encouragement,
and vwaS  pleased to find that, though fatigued
with the exercise of the day, they appeared to
entertain no suspicion that their present embar
rassment was other than the result of accident
Giving them  reason to believe he was merel.y
employed in a consultation concerning their future route, he spurred his charger, and drew the
reins again when the animal had carried him
within a few yards of the place, where the sullen
runner still stood leaning against the tree.
" You may see, Magua," he said, endeavouring to assume an air of freedom and confidence,
"that the night is closing around us, and yet we
are no nearer to William  Henry tha  when we
left the encampment of Webb, with the sun.
You have missed the way, nor have I been more
fortunate.  But, happily, we have fallen in with
a hunter, he whom you hear talking to the singer,
that is acquainted with the deer-paths and byways of the woods, and who promises to lead us
to a place where we may rest securely till the
morning."
The Indian riveted his glowing eyes on Heyward as he asked, in his imperfect English, " Is
he alone?"
" Alone!" hesitatingly answered Heyward, to
whom deception was too new to be assumed without embarrassment.  "Oh! not alone, surely,
Magua, for you know that we are with him."'*Then le Renard Subtil will go," returned
the runner, coolly raising his little wallet from
the place where it had lain at his feet; "and the
pale faces will see none but their own colour."
66 Go! Whom call you le Renard?"




56               THE LAST OF
"'Tis the name his Canada fathers have given
to Magua," returned the runner, with an ai: that
manifested his pride at the distinction, though
probably quite ignorant of the character conveyed by the appellation.  " Night is the same as
day to le Subtil, when Munro waits for him."
"And what account will le Renard give the
chief of William Henry concerning his daughters?
will he dare to tell the hot-blooded Scotsman that
his children are left without a guide, though Magua promised to be one?"
"The gray head has a loud voice, and a long
arm, but will le Renard hear him or feel him in
the woods?" returned the wary runner.
"But what will the Mohawks say! They will
make him petticoats, and bid him stay in the wigwam with the women, for he is no longer to be
trusted with the business of a man."
" Le Subtil knows the path to the great lakes,
and can find the bones of his fathers," was the
answer of the unmoved runner.
"'Enough, Magua," said Heyward; "are we
not friends! why should there be bitter words
between us? Munro has promised you a gift for
your services when performed, and I shall be your
debtor for another. Rest your weary limbs, then,
and open your wallet to eat. We have a few moments to spare; let us not waste them in talk like
wrangling women. When the ladies are refreshed we will proceed."
" The pale faces make themselves dogs to their
women," muttered the Indian, in his native language, "and when they want to eat, their war
riors must lay aside the tomahawk to feed their
laziness."
"What say you, Renard?"
"Le Subtil says it is good."




THE MOHICANS.               57
The Indian then fastened his eyes keenly on
the open countenance of Heyward, but meeting
his glance, he turned them quickly away, and
seating himself deliberately on the ground, he
drew forth tie'remnant of some former repast,
and began to eat, though not without first bend
ing his looks slowly and cautiously around him.
"This is well," continued Heyward; " and le
Renard will have strength and sight to find the
path in the morning;"-he paused, for sounds
like the snapping of a dried stick, and the rustling of leaves, rose from the adjacent bushes, but
recollecting himself instantly continued-" we
must be moving before the sun is seen, or Montcalm may lie in our path, and shut us out from
the fortress."
The hand of Magua dropped from his mouth
to his side, and though his eyes were fastened on
the ground, his head was turned aside, his nostrils expanded, and his ears seemed even to stand
more erect than usual, giving to him the appearance of a statue that was made to represent in
tense attention.
Heyward, who watched his movements with a
vigilant eye, carelessly extricated one of his feet
from the stirrup, while he passed a hand towards
the bear-skin covering of his holsters. Every
effort to detect the point most regarded by the
runner, was completely frustrated by the tremulous glances of his organs, which seemed not to
rest a single instant on any particular object, and
which at the same time, could be hardly said to
move. While he hesitated how to proceed, le
Subtil cautiously raised himself to his feet, though
with a motion so slow and guarded, that not the
slightest noise was produced by the  change.
Heyward felt it had now become incumbent on




58       THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
him  to act; throwing his leg over the saddle, he
dismounted, with a determination to advance and
seize his treacherous companion, trusting the result to his own manhood.  In order, however, to
prevent unnecessary alarm, he still preserved an
air of calmness and friendship.
"Le Renard Subtil does not eat," he said
using the appellation he had found most flattering
to the vanity of the Indian. " His corn is not
well parched, and seems dry. Let me examine,
perhaps something may be found among my own
provisions that will help his appetite."
Magua held out the wallet to meet the proffer
of the other. He even suffered their hands to
meet, without betraying the least emotion, or varying his riveted attitude of attention. But when
he felt the fingers of Heyward moving gently
along his own naked arm, he struck up the limb
of the young man, and uttering a piercing cry, as
he darted beneath it, plunged, at a single bound,
into the opposite thicket.  At the next instant,
the form  of Chingachgook appeared from  the
bushes, looking like a spectre in its paint, and
glided across the path in swift pursuit. Next
followed the shout of Uncas, when the woods
wvere lighted by a sudden flash, that was accom.
panied by the sharp report of the hunter's rifle.




CHAPTER V.
— "In such a night,
Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew;
And saw the lion's shadow ere himself." —
Aierchant of VPnice
THE suddenness of the flight of his guide, and
the wild cries of the pursuers, caused Heyward
to remain fixed, for a few moments, in inactive
surprise.  Then recollecting the importance of
securing the fugitive, he dashed aside the surrounding bushes, and pressed eagerly forward to
lend his aid in the chase.  Before he had, however, proceeded a hundred  yards, he met the
three foresters already returning from their unsuccessful pursuit.
" Why so soon disheartened!" he exclaimed;
"the scoundrel must be concealed behind some of
these trees, and may yet be secured.  We are
not safe while he goes at large."
"Would you. sel a cloud to chase the wind?"
returned the disappointed scout; "I heard the
imp, brushing over the d(ry leaves, like a black
snake, and blinking a glimpse of him, just over
ag'in yon big pine, I pulled as it might be on the
scent; but'twouldn't do! and yet for,a reasoning
aim, if any body but myself had touched  the
trigger, I should call it a quick sight; and I may
be accounted to have experience in these matters,
and one who ought to know.  Look at this sumach; its leaves are red, though every body
knows the fruit is in the yellow blossom, in the
month of July!"
"'Tis the blood of le Subtil! he is hurt, and
may yet fall!"
"No, no," returned the scout, in decided dis



60               THE LAST OF
approbation of this opinion, "*I rubbed the bark
off a limb, perhaps, but the creature leaped the
longer for it.  A rifle bullet acts on a running
animal, when it barks him, much the same as one
of your spurs on a horse; that is, it quickens motion, and puts life into the flesh, instead of taking
it away. But when it cuts the ragged hole, after
a bound or two, there is, commonly, a stagnation
of further leaping, be it Indian, or be it deer!"
"We are four able bodies, to one wounded
man!"
"Is life grievous to you?" interrupted the
scout. " Yonder red devil would draw you within swing of the tomahawks of his comrades, before
you were heated in the chase.  It was an unthoughtful act, in a man who has so often slept
with the war-whoop ringing in the air, to let off
his piece, within sound of an ambushment! But,
then it was a natural temptation!'twas very natural! Come, friends, let us move our station, and
in such a fashion, too, as will throw the cunning
of a Mingo on a wrong scent, or our scalps will
be drying in the wind in front of Montcalm's
marquee, ag'in this hour to-morrow's sundown."
This appalling declaration, which the scout uttered with the cool assurance of a man who fully
comprehended, while he did not fear to face the
danger, served to remind Heyward of the importance of the charge with which he himself had
been intrusted.  Glancing his eyes around, with
a vain effort to pierce the gloom that was thick
ening beneath the leafy arches of the forest, he
felt as if, cut off from all human aid, his unresisting companions would soon lay at the entire mercy of their barbarous enemies, who, like beasts
of prey only waited till the gathering darkness
rmigrht reinder their hblows more fatnll  ertinni.




THE- MOHICANS,               61.
His awakened imagination, deluded by the deceptive light, converted each waving bush, or the fragment of some fallen tree, into human forms, and
twenty times he fancied he could distinguish the
horrid visages of his lurking foes, peering from
their hiding places, in never-ceasing watchfulness
of the movements of his party. Looking upward,
he found that the thin fleecy clouds, which evening had painted on the blue sky, were already losing their faintest tints' of rose-colour, while the
imbedded stream which glided past the spot where
he stood, was to be traced only by, the dark boundary of its wooded banks.
" What is then to be done?" he said, feeling the
utter helplessness of doubt in such a pressing strait;
"desert me not, for God's sake! remain to defend
those I escort, and freely name your own reward!"
His companions, who conversed apart in the
language of their tribe, heeded not this sudden and
earnest appeal. Though their dialogue was maintained in lowr and cautious sounds, but little above
a whisper, Heyward, who now approached, could
easily distinguish the earnest tones of the younger
warrior, from the more deliberate speeches of his
senior. It was evident, that they debated on the
propriety of some measure, that nearly concerned
the welfare of the travellers. Yielding to his powerful interest in the subject, and impatient of a delay that seemed fraught with so much additional
danger, Heyward drew still nigher to the dusky
group, with an intention of making his offers of
compensation more definite, when the white man,
motioning with his hand as if he conceded the disputed point, turned away, saying in a sort of soliloquy,:and in the English tongue:-':.Uneas is right! it-would not be the act of men,
to leave' such harmless things to their fate, even




62               THE LAST 0F
though it breaks up the harbouring place for ever.
If you would save these tender blossoms from the
Cangs of the worst of sarpents, gentleman,you have
neither time to lose nor resolution to throw away!"
" How can such a wish be doubted! have I not
already offered"" Offer your prayers to Him, who can give us
wisdom to carcumvent the cunning of the devils
who fill these woods," calmly interrupted the
scout, "but spare your offers of money, which
neither you may live to realize, nor I to profit by.
These Mohicans and I, will do what man's thoughts
can invent, to keep such flowers, which, though so
sweet, were never made for the wilderness, from
harm, and that without hope of any other recompense but such as God always gives to upright
dealings. First, you must promise two things, both
in your own name, and for your friends, or without serving you, we shall only injure ourselves!"' Name them."
"The one is to be still as these sleeping woods,
let what will happen; and the other, is to keep the
place where we shall take you forever a secret
from all mortal men."
" I will do my utmost to see both these conditions fulfilled."
" Then follow, for we. are losing moments that
are as precious as the heart's blood to a stricken
deer!"
Heyward could distinguish the impatient gesture
of the scout, through the increasing shadows of the
evening, and moved in his footsteps, swiftly, towards the place where he had left the remainder
of his party.  When they rejoined the expecting
and anxious females, he briefly acquainted them
with the conditions of their new guide, and with
the necessity that existed for their hushing every




THE MOHICANS.               63
apprehension, in instant and serious exertions. Although his alarming communication was not received without much secret terror by the listeners,
his earnest and impressive manner, aided perhaps
by the nature of their danger, succeeded in bracing their nerves to undergo some unlooked for
and unusual trial. Silently, and without a moment's delay, they permitted him to assist them
from their saddles, when they descended, quickly,
to the water's edge, where the scout had collected
the rest of the party, more by the agency of his
expressive gestures than by any use of words.
" What to do with these dumb creaturs!" muttered the white man, on whom the sole control of
their future movements appeared to devolve; "it
would he time lost to cut their throats, and cast
them  into the river; and to leave them  here,
would be to tell the Mingoes that they have not
far toseek to find their owners!"
"Then give them their bridles, and let them
range the woods!" Heyward ventured to suggest.
"No; it would be better to mislead the imps,
and make them believe they must equal a horse's
speed to run down their chase. Ay, ay, that will
blind their fire-balls of eyes! Chingach-Hist!
what stirs the bush.?"
" The colt."
"That colt, at least, must die," muttered the
scout, grasping at the mane of the nimble beast,
which -easily eluded his hand;;" Uncas, your arrows!
"Hold!" exclaimed the proprietor of the con.
demned animal, aloud, without regard to the whispering tones used by the others; " spare the foal
of Miriam! it is a comely offspring of a faithful
dam, and would, willingly, injure nought."
"When men struggle for the single life God




64               THE LAST OF
has given them," said the scout, sternly, "even
their own kind seem no more than the beasts ol
the wood.  If you speak again, I shall leave you
to the mercy of the Maquas! Draw to your arrow's head, Uncas; we have not time for second
blows!"
The low, muttering sounds of his threatening
voice, were still audible, when the wounded foal,
first rearing on its hinder legs, plunged forward to
its knees. It was met by Chingachgook, whose
knife passed across its throat quicker than thought,
and then precipitating the motion of the struggling
victim, he dashed it into the river, down whose
stream it glided away, gasping audibly for breath
with its ebbing life.  This deed of apparent cruelty, but of real necessity, fell upon the spirits of
the travellers, like a terrific warning of the peril
in which they stood,. heightened, as it was, by the
calm though steady resolution of the actors in the
scene.  The sisters shuddered, and clung closer
to each other, while Heyward, instinctively, laid
his hand on one of the pistols he had;ust drawn
from their holsters, as he placed himseif between
his charge and those dense shadows, that seemed
to draw an impenetrable veil before the bosom of
the forest.
The Indians, however, hesitated not a moment,
out taking the bridles, they led the frightened and
reluctant horses down into the bed of the river.
At a short distance from the shore, they turned,
and were soon concealed by the projection of the
bank, under the brow of which they moved, in a
direction opposite to the course of the waters.
In the mean time, the scout drew a canoe of bark
from its place of concealment beneath some low
bushes, whose branches were waving with the
eddyings of the current, into which he silently




THE MOHICANt.               65
motioned the females to enter.  They complied
without hesitation, though many a fearful and
anxious glance was thrown behind them, towards
the thickening gloom, which now lay like a dark
barrier along the margin of the stream.
So soon as Cora and Alice were seated, the
scout, without regarding the element, directed
Heyward to support one side of the frail vessel,
and posting himself at the other, they bore it up
against the stream, followed by the dejected owner
of the dead foal. In this manner they proceeded,
for many rods, in a silence that was only interrupted by the rippling of the water, as its eddies
played around them, or the low dash made by
their own cautious footsteps.  Heyward yielded
the guidance of the canoe, implicitly, to the scout,
who approached or receded from  the shore, to
avoid the fragments of rocks, or deeper parts of
the river, with a readiness that showed his know
ledge of the route they held. Occasionally he
would stop; and in the midst of a breathing stillness, that the dull but increasing roar of the waterfall only served to render more impressive, he
would listen with painful intenseness to catch any
living sounds that might arise from the slumbering
forest.  When assured that all was still, and unable to detect, even by the aid of his practised
senses, any sign of approaching foes, he would
deliberately resume his slow and guarded pro
gress.  At length they reached a point in the
river. where the roving eye of Heyward became
riveted on a cluster of black objects, which had
collected at a spot where the high bank threw a
deeper shadow  than usual on the dark waters
Hesitating to advance, he pointed out the place to
the attention of his companion.
"Ay," returned the composed scout, " the
F2




66              THE LAST OF
Indians have hid the beasts with the judgment of
natives! Water leaves no trail, and an owl's eyes
would be blinded by the darkness of such a hole."
The whole party was soon reunited, and another
consultation was held between the scout and his
new comrades, during which, they, whose fates
depended on the faith and ingenuity of these unknown foresters, had a little leisure to observe
their situation more minutely.
The river was confined between high and cragged
rocks, one of which impended above the spot where
the canoe rested. As these, again, were surmounted by tall trees, which appeared to totter on the
brows of the precipice, it gave the stream the
appearance of running through a deep and narrow
dell. All beneath the fantastic limbs and ragged
tree-tops, which were, here and there, dimly painted against the starry zenith, lay alike in shadowed
obscurity.  Behind them, the curvature of the
banks soon bounded the view, by the same,dark
and wooded outline; but in front, and apparently
at no great distance, the water seemed piled against
the heavens, whence it tumbled into caverns, out
of which issued those sullen sounds, that had loaded
the evening atmosphere. It seemed, in truth, to
be a spot devoted to seclusion, and the sisters imbibed a soothing impression of increased security,
as they gazed upon its romantic, though not unappalling beauties.  A general movement among
their conductors, however, soon recalled them
from a contemplation of the wild charms that night
had assisted to lend the place, to a painful sense
of their real peril.
The horses had been secured to some scattering shrubs that grew in the fissures of the rocks,
where, standing in the water, they were left to pass
tie night.  The scout directed Heyward and his




THE MOHICANS.               67
disconsolate fellow travellers to seat themnselves in
the forward end of the canoe, and took possession
of the other hinrself, as erect and steady as if he
floated in a vessel of much firmer materials. The
Indians warily retraced their steps towards the
place they had left, when the scout, placing his
pole against a rock, by a powerful shove, sent his
frail bark directly into the centre of the turbulent
stream.  For many minutes the struggle between
the light bubble in which they floated, and the
swift current, was severe and doubtful. Forbidden to stir even a hand, and almost afraid to
breathe, lest they should expose the frail fabric
to the fury of the stream, the anxious passengers
watched the glancing waters in feverish suspense.
Twenty times they thought the whirling eddies
were sweeping them  to destruction, when the
master-hand of their pilot would bring the bows
of the canoe to stem the rapid, and their eyes
glanced over a confused mass of the murmuring
element-so swift was the passage between it and
their little vessel.  A long, a vigorous, and, as it
appeared to the females, a desperate effort, closed
the scene. Just as Alice veiled her eyes in horror, under the impression that they were about to
be swept within the vortex at the foot of the cataract, the canoe floated, stationary, at the side of a
flat rock, that lay on a level with the water.
" Where are we? and what is next to be done?"
demanded Heyward, perceiving that the exertions
of the scout had ceased.
"You are at the foot of Glenn's," returned the
other, speaking aloud, without fear of conse
qgences, within the roar of the cataract; "and the
next thing is to make a steady landing, lest the
canoe upsets, and you should go down again the
hard road we have travelled, faster than you came




~68     ~    THE LAST OF
up it;'tis a hard rift to stem, when the river is
little swelled; and five is an unnatural number to
keep dry in the hurry-skurry, with a little birchen
bark, and gum. There, go you all on the rock,
and I will bring up the Mohicans with the venison.
A  man had better sleep without his scalp, than
famish in the midst of plenty."
His passengers gladly complied with these direc
tions.  As the last foot touched the rock, the ca
noe whirled from its station, when the tall form of
the scout was seen, for an instant, gliding above
the waters, oefore it disappeared in the impenetra
ble darkness that rested on the bed of the river.
Left by their guide, the travellers remained a few
minutes in helpless ignorance, afraid even to move
along the broken rocks, lest a false step sh6uld precipitate them  down some one of the many deep
and roaring caverns, into which the water seemed
to tumble, on every side of them.  Their suspense, however, was soon relieved; for, aided by
the skill of the natives, the canoe shot back into
the eddy, and floated again at the side of the low
rock, before they thought the scout had even time
to rejoin his companions.
" We are now  fortified, garrisoned, and provisioned," cried Heyward, cheerfully, "and may
set Montcalm  and his allies at defiance.  How,
now, my vigilant sentinel, can you see any thing
of those you call the Iroquois on the main land?'"
"I call them  Iroquois, because to me every
native, who speaks a foreign tongue, is accounted
an enemy, though he may pretend to serve the
king!  If WXebb wants faith and honesty in an
Indian, let him bring out the tribes of the Delawares, and send these greedy and lying Mohawks
and Oneidas, with their six nations of varlets,




THE MOHICANS                69
Where in nature they belong, among the outland
ish Frenchmen!"X' We should then exchange a warlike for a useless friend! I have heard that the Delawares have
laid aside the hatchet, and are content to be called
women!"
"Ay, shame on the Hollanders and Iroquois,
*who carcumvented them  by their deviltries into
such a treaty! But I have known them for twenty years, and will call him liar, that says cowardly
blood runs in the veins of a Delaware. You have
driven their tribes from the sea-shore, and would
now  believe.what their enemies say, that you
may sleep at night upon an easy pillow. No, no;
to me, every Indian who speaks a foreign tongue
is an Iroquois, whether the castle of his tribe be
in Canada or be in York."
Heyward perceiving that the stubborn adherence of the scout to the cause of his frienid the
Delawares or Mohicans, for they were branches
of the same numerous people, was likely to prolong a useless discussion, adroitly changed the
subject.
"Treaty or no treaty, I know full well, that
your two companions are brave and cautious war-:riors! have they then heard or seen any thing of
our enemies?"
"An Indian is a mortal to be felt afore he i'
seen," returned the scout, ascending the rock, and
throwing the deer carelessly down.   "I trust to
other signs than such as come in at the eye, when
I am outlying on the trail of the Mingoes."
" Do your ears tell you that they have traced
our retreat?"
" I should be sorry to think they had, though
this is a spot that stout courage might hold for a
smart skrim.-.r ^. T will not deny, however. but




70                THE LAST OF
the horses cowered when I passed them, as though
they scented the wolves; and a wolf is a beast
that is apt to hover about an Indian ambushment,
craving the offals of the deer the savages kill."
"You forget the buck at your feet! or, may
we not owe their visit to the dead colt? Ha!
hat noise is that!"
" Poor Miriam," murmured the stranger, ut%
tering less equivocal sounds; "thy foal was fore
ordained to become a prey to ravenous beasts!'
Then suddenly lifting his voice amid the eternal
din of the waters, he sang aloud" First horn of Egypt, smite did he,
Of mankind, and of beast also;
O Egypt! wonders sent'midst thee,
On Pharaoh and his servants too!"
" The death of the colt sits heavy on the heart
of its owner," said the scout; "but it's a good
sign to see a man account upon his dumb friends.
He has the religion of the matter, in believing
what is to happen will happen; and with such a
consolation, it wont be long afore he submits to the
rationality of killing a four-footed beast, to save
the lives of human men.  It may be as you say,"
he continued, reverting to the purport of Heyward's last remark; " and the greater the reason
why we should cut our steaks, and let the carcass
ltrive down the stream, or we shall have the pack
howling along the cliffs, begrudging every mouthful we swallow. Besides, though the Delaware
tongue is the same as a book to the Iroquois, the
cunning varlets are quick enough at understanding
the reason of a wolf's howl."
The scout, whilst making his remarks, was busied
in collecting certain necessary implements; as he
concluded, he moved silently by the group of
travellers, accompanied by the Mohicans, who




THIE MOH1CANS.                71
seemed to comprehend his intentions with instinctive readiness, when the whole three disappeared
in succession, seeming to vanish against the dark
face of a perpendicular rock, that rose to th  height
of a few yards, within as many feet of the water's
edge.
CHAPTER VI.
"' Those strains that once did sweet in Zion glide;
He wales a portion with judicious care;
And let us worship God, he says, with solemn air."-Burns.
IEYWARD, and his female companions, witnessed this mysterious movement with secret uneasiness; for, though the conduct of the white
man had hitherto been above reproach, his rude
equipments, blunt address, and strong antipathies,
together with the character of his silent associates,
were all causes for exciting distrust in minds that
had been so recently alarmed by Indian treachery.
The stranger alone disregarded the passing incl
dents. He seated himself on a projection of the
rocks, whence he gave no other signs of consciousness, than by the struggles of his spirit, as
manifested in frequent and heavy sighs. Smothered
voices were next heard, as though men called to
each other in the bowels of the earth, when a sudden light flashed upon the vision of those w ithout,
and laid bare the much prized secret of the place.
At the farther extremity of a narrow, deep,
cavern in the rock, whose length appeared much extended by the perspective and the nature of the
light by which it was seen, was seated the scout,
holding a blazing knot of pine. The strong glare
f the fire fell full upon his sturdy, weather-beaten




72                THE LAST OF
countenance and forest attire, lending an air of romantic wildness to the aspect of an individual,
who, seen by the sober light of day, would have
exhibited the peculiarities of a man remarkable for
the strangeness of his dress, the iron-like inflexi.
bility of his frame, and the singular compound of
quick, vigilant sagacity, and of exquisite sim.
plicity, that by turns usurped the possession of his
muscular features. At a little distance in advance
stood Uncas, his whole person thrown powerfully
into view by its situation and proximity. The
travellers anxiously regarded the upright, flexible
figure of the young Mohican, graceful and unrestrained in the attitudes and movements of nature.
Though his person was more than usually skreened by a green and fringed hunting shirt, like that
of the white man, there was no concealment to
his dark, glancing, fearless eye, alike terrible and
calm; the bold outline of his high, haughty features, pure in their native red; or to the dignified
elevation of his receding forehead, together with
all the finest proportions of a noble head, bared to
the generous scalping tuft.*  It was the first op.
portunity possessed by Duncan and his companions, to view the marked lineaments of either of
their Indian attendants, and each individual of the
party felt relieved from a burden of doubt, as the
proud and determined, though wild, expression
of the features of the young warrior forced itself
on their notice.  They felt it might be a being
partially benighted in the vale of ignorance, but
it could not be one who would willingly devote
his rich natural gifts to the purposes of wanton
* The Indian warner shaves all his head, with the exception of a
single lock on the crown, which he leaves to assist his conqueror in
rcul3ving his scalp; the sole memorial of his achievement, w'iich
the latter can produce.




THE MOHICANS.                 73
treachery. The ingenuous Alice gazed at his free
air and proud carriage, as she would have looked
upon some precious relic of the Grecian chisel, to
which life had been imparted, by the intervention
of a miracle; while Heyward, though accustomed
to see the perfection of form which abounds among
the uncorrupted natives, openly expressed his ad
miration at such an unblemished specimen of the
noblest proportions of man.
"I could sleep in peace," whispered Alice, in
reply, " with such a fearless and geneious looking
youth for my sentinel.  Surely, Duncan, those
cruel murders, those terrific scenes of torture, of
which we read and hear so much, are never acted
*n the presence of such as he!"
" This, certainly, is a rare and brilliant instance
of those natural qualities, in which these peculiar
people are said to excel,"' he answered.  " I agree
with you, Alice, in thinking that such a front and
eye were formed rather to intimidate than to deceive; but let us not practise a deception upon
ourselves, by expecting any other exhibition of
what we esteem  virtue, than according to the
fashion of a savage. As bright examples of great
qualities are but too uncommon among christians,
so are they singular and solitary with the Indians;
though, for the honour of our common nature,
neither are incapable of producing them.  Let us
then hope, ihat this Mohican may not disappoint
our wishes, and prove, what his looks assert him
to be, a brave and constant friend."
"Now Major Heyward speaks,. as Major Hey
ward shoull," murmured Cora; "who, that looks
at this creature of nature, remembers the shades
of his skin!"
A short, and apparently an embarrassed, silence
succeeded this characteristic remark, which was
G




74               THE LAST OF
interrupted by the scout calling to them aloud, to
enter.
" This fire begins to show too bright a flame,'
he continued, as they complied, "and might light
the Mingoes to our undoing.  Uncas, drop the
blanket, and show the knaves its dark side. This
is not such a supper as a major of the royal Americans has a right to expect, but I've known stout
detachments of the corps glad to eat their venison
raw, and without a relish too.  Here, you see,
we have plenty of salt, and can make a quick
broil. There's fresh saxafrax boughs for the ladies
to sit on, which may not be as proud as their myhog-guinea chairs, but which sends up a sweeter
flavour than the skin of any hog can do, be it oi
Guinea, or he it of any other land. Come, friend,
dont be mournful for the colt;'twas an innocent
thing, and had not seen much hardship. Its death
will save the creatur many a sore back and weary
foot!"
Uncas did as the other had directed, and when
the voice of Hawk-eye ceased, the roar of the
cataract sounded like the rumbling of distant
thunder.
"Are we quite safe in this cavern?" demanded
Heyward.  " Is there no danger of surprise? A
single armed man, at its entrance, would hold us
at his mercy. "
A spectral looking figure stalked from  out the
darkness behind the scout, and seizing a blazing
brand, held it towards the further extremity ot
their place of retreat. Alice uttered a faint shriek,
and even Cora rose to her feet, as this appalling
object moved into the light; but a single word
from Heyward calmed them, with the assurance
it was only their attendant, Chingachgook, who,
lifting another blanket, discovered that the cavern




THE MOHICANS.                75
had two outlets.  Then, holding the brand, he
crossed a deep, narrow chasm in the rocks, which
ran at right angles with the passage they were in,
but which, unlike that, was open to the heavens,
and entered another cave, answering to the de
scription of the first, in every essential particular.
"Such old foxes as Chingachgook and myself,
are not often caught in a burrow with one hole,"
said Hawk-eye, laughing; "you can easily see
the cunning of the place-the rock is black limestone, which every body knows is soft; it makes
no uncomfortable pillow, where brush and pine
wood is scarce; well, the fall was once a few
vards below us, and I dare to say was, in its time,
as regular and as handsome a sheet of water as any
along the Hudson.  But old age is a great injury
to good looks, as these sweet young ladies have
yet to l'arn! The place is sadly changed! These
rocks are full of cracks, and in some places, they
are softer than at othersome, and the water has
worked out deep hollows for itself, until it has
fallen back, ay, some hundred feet, breaking here,
and wearing there, until the falls have neither
shape nor consistency."
" In what part of them are we?" asked Hey.
ward.
" Why, we are nigh by the spot that Providence
first placed them at, but where, it seems, they
were too rebellious to stay.  The rock proved
softer on either side of us, and so they left the
centre of the river bare and dry, first working
out these two little holes for us to hide in."
" We are then on an island?"
"Ay! there are the falls on two sides of us,
and the river above and below.  If you had day.
light, it would be worth the trouble to step up on
the Ieight of tills rock, and look at the perversity




76               THIE LAST OP
of the water.  It falls by no rule at all; sometimes it leaps, sometimes it tumbles; there, it
skips; here, it shoots; in one place'tis white as
snow, and in another'tis green as grass; hereabouts, it pitches into deep hollows, that rumble
and quake the'arth; and thereaway, it ripples and
sings like a brook, fashioning whirlpools and gullies in the old stone, as if'twas no harder than
trodden clay.  The whole design of the river
seems disconcerted. First it runs smoothly, as if
meaning to go down the descent as things were
ordered; then it angles about and faces the shores,
nor are there places wanting, where it looks backward, as if unwilling to leave the wilderness, to
mingle with the salt! Ay, lady, the fine cobweb.
looking cloth you wear at your throat, is coarse,
and like a fish net, to little spots I can show you,
where the river fabricates all sorts of images, as
if, having broke loose from order, it would try its
lrand at every thing. And yet what does it amount
to! After the water has been suffered to have its
will for a time, like a headstrong man, it is gathered together by the hand that made it, and a
few  rods below  you may see it all, flowing on
steadily towards the sea as was foreordained from
the first foundation of the'arth!"
While his auditors received a cheering assurance
of the security of their place of concealment, from
this untutored description of Glenn's, they were
much inclined to judge differently from Hawk-eye,
of its Wild beauties.  But they were not in a situation to suffer their thoughts to dwell on the
charms of natural objects; antl, as the scout had
not found it necessary to cease his culinary labours
while he spoke, unless to point out, with a broken
fork, the direction of some particularly obnoxious
point in the rebellious stream, they now  suffered




THE MOHICANS.                77
their attention to be drawn to the necessary though
more vulgar consideration of their supper.
The repast, which was greatly aided by the addition of a few delicacies, that Heyward had the
precaution to brino with him, when they left their
horses, was exceedingly refreshing to the wearied
party. Uncas acted as attendant to the females,
performing all the little offices within his power,
with a mixture of dignity and anxious grace, that
served to amuse Heyward, who well knew that it
was an utter innovation on the Indian customs,
which forbid their warriors to descend to any
menial employment, especially in favour of their
women.  As the rites of hospitality were, however, considered sacred among them, this little
departure from the dignity of manhood excited Jno
audible comment.  Had there been one there sufficiently disengaged to become a close observer,
he might have fancied that the services of the
young chief were not entirely impartial. That,
while he tendered to Alice the calabash of sweet
water, and the venison in a trencher, neatly carved
from the knot of the pepperage, with sufficient
courtesy, in performing the same offices to her
sister, his dark eye lingered on her rich, speaking,
countenance, with a softness that banished the
bright gleams of pride, that were usually glancing
there, entirely from  their expression.  Once or
twice he was compelled to speak, to command the
attention of those he served.  In such cases, he
made use of English, broken and imperfect, but
sufficiently intelligible, and which he rendered so
mild and musical, -by his* deep, guttural voice,
that it never failed to cause both ladies to look up
* The meaning of Indian words is much governed by the empha.
Sis and tones.
G2




78               THE LAST OF;n admiration and astonishment. In the course of
these civilities, a few sentences were exchanged,
that served to establish the appearance of an amicable intercourse between the parties.
In the meanwhile. the gravity of Chingacligook
remained Immoveable.  He had seated himself
more within the circle of light, where the frequent, uneasy glances of his guests were better
enabled to separate the natural expression of his
face, fronrt the artificial terrors of the war-paint.
They found a strong resemblance between father
and son. w:th the difference that might be expected
from  age and hardships.  The fierceness of his
countenance now seemed to slumber, and in its
place was to be seen the quiet, vacant composure,
which distinguishes an Indian warrior, when his
faculties are not required for any of the greater
purposes of his existence. It was, however, easy
to be seen, by the occajional gleams that shot
across his swarthy visage, that it was only neces
sary to arouse his passions in order to give full
effect to the terrific device which he had adopted
to intimidate his enemies.  On the other hand,
the quick, roving eye of the scout seldom rested.
He ate and drank with an appetite that no sense
of danger could disturb, but his vigilance seemed
never to desert him.  Twenty times the calabash
or the venison was suspended before his lips, while
his head was turned aside, as though he listened
to some distant and distrusted sounds-a movement that never failed to recall his guests from
regarding the novelties of their situation, to a recollection of the alarming reasons that had driven
them to seek it.  As these frequent pauses were
never followed by any remark, the momentary
uneasiness they created quickly passed away, and
was, for a time, forgotten




THE MOHICANS.               79
"Conle, friend," said Hawk-eye, drawing out
a keg from beneath a cover of leaves, towards the
close of the repast, and addressing the stranger
who sat at his elbow, doing great justice to his
culinary skill, " try a little spruce;'twill wash
away all thoughts of the colt, and quicken the life
in your bosom. I drink to our better friendship,
hoping that a little horseflesh may leave no heartburnings atween us. How do you name yourself?'
" Gamut-David Gamut," returned the singingmaster, mechanically wipimg, his mouthi, prqpara,
tory to washing down his sorrows, in a'powerful
draught of the woodman's high-flavoured and well
laced compound.
"A very good name," returned the other, taking
breath after a draught, whose length announced
how much he admired: his own skill in brewing,
and, I dare say, handed down from honest fdt'efathers. I'm an admirator of names, though the
Christian fashions fall far below savage customs in
this particular. The biggest coward I ever knew
was called Lyon; and his wife, Patience, would
scold you out of hearing in less time than a hunted deer would run a rod.  With an Indian'tis a
matter of conscience; what he calls himself, he
generally is-not that Chingachgook, which signifies big sarpent, is really a snake, big or little; but
that he understands the windings and turnings of
human natur, and is silent, and strikes his enemies
when they least expect him. What may be your
calling?"
"I am  an unworthy instructor in the art of
psalmody."
"Anan!"
"I teach singing to the youths of the Connecti.
out levy."
"You might be better employed.  The young




80.              THE LAST OF
hounds go laughing and singing too much already
through the woods, when they ought not to
breathe louder than a fox in his cover. Can you
use the smooth bore, or handle the rifle?"
"Praised be God, I have never had occasion to
meddle with such murderous implements!"
" Perhaps you understand the compass, and lay
down the water courses and mountains of the wilderness on paper, in order that they who follow
may find places by their given names?"
" I practise no such employment."
" You have a pair of legs that might make a
long path seem short! you journey sometimes, I
fancy, with titlings for the general."
"Never; I-follow no other than my own high
vocation, which is instruction in sacred music!"
" Tis a strange calling!" muttered Hawk-eye,
with an inward laugh, "to go through life, like a
cat-bird, mocking all the ups and downs that may
happen to come out of other men's throats. Well,
friend, I suppose it is your gift, aind mustn't be
denied any more than if'twas shooting, or some
other better inclination.  Let us hear what you
can do in that way;'twill be a friendly manner
of saying good night, for'tis time these ladies
should be getting strength for a hard and a long
push, in the pride of the morning, afore the Maquas are stirring."
" With joyful pleasure do I consent," sai(d David, adjusting his iron-rimmed spectacles again,
and producing his beloved little volume, which
ne immediately tendered to Alice.  " What can
be more fitting and consolatory, than to offer up
evening praise after a day of such exceeding jeopardy!"
Alice smiled; but regarding Heyward, she
blushed and hesitated.




THE MOHICANS.               81
" Indulge yourself," he whispered; "ougllt not
the suggestion of the worthy namesake of the
Psalmist to have its weight at such a moment?"
Encouraged by his opinion, Alice did what
both her pious inclinations and her keen relish for
gentle sounds, had before so strongly urged upon
her. The book was open at a hymn not ill adapted to their situation, and in which the poet, no
longer goaded by his desire to excel the inspired
King of Israel, had discovered some chastened
and respectable powers. Cora betrayed a disposition to support her sister, and the sacred song
proceeded, after the indispensable preliminaries of
the pitch-pipe and the tune had been duly attended to by the methodical David.
The air was solemn and slow. At times it rose
to the fullest compass of the rich voices of the
sweet maidens, who hung over their little book in
holy excitement, and again it sunk so low, that
the rushing of the waters ran through their melody like a hollow  accompaniment.  The natural
taste and true ear of David, governed and modified the sounds to suit their confined cavern, every
crevice and cranny of which was filled with the
thrilling notes of their flexible voices. The Indians riveted their eyes on the rocks, and listened
with an attention that seemed to turn them into
stone. But the scout, who had placed his chin in
his hand, with an expression of cold lndifference,
gradually suffered his rigid features to relax, until
as verse succeeded verse, he felt his iron pature
subdued, while his recollection was carried back
to his boyhood, when his ears had been accustomed to listen to similar, though far less sweet, sounds
of praise, in the settlements of the colony.  His
roving eyes began to moisten, and before the
hymn was ended, large, scalding tears rolled out




t82              THE LAST OF
of fountains that had long seemed dry, and followed each other down those cheeks that had oftener
felt the storms of heaven, than any testimonials
of weakness  The singers were dwelling on one
of those low, dying chords, which the ear devours with such greedy rapture,as if conscious
that it is about to lose them, when a ery, that
seemed neither human, nor earthly, rose in the
outward air, penetrating not only the recesses of
the cavern, but to the inmost hearts of all who
heard it. It was followed by a stillness apparently
as deep as if the waters had been checked in their
furious progress at such a horrid and unusual interruption?
"What is it?" murmured Alice, after a few
moments of terrible suspense.
""Whatis it?" repeated Heyward, aloud.
Neither Hawk-eye, nor the Indians, made any
reply. They listened, as if expecting the sound
would be repeated, with a manner that expressed
their own astonishment.  At length, they spoke
together, earnestly,.in the Delaware language,
when Uncas, passing by the inner and most concealed aperture, cautiously left the cavern. When
he had gone, the scout first spoke in English.
" What it is, or what it is not, none here can
tell; though two of us have ranged the woods for
more than thirty years! I did believe there was
no cry that Indian or beast could make, that my
ears had not heard; but this has proved that I
was only a vain and conceited mortal."
"Was it not, then, the shout the warriors make
when they wish to intimidate their enemies?"
asked Cora, who stood drawing her veil about her
person, with a calmness to which her agitated
sister was a stranger.
" No, no; this was bad, and shocking, and had




THE MOHICANS.               83
a sort cf unhuman sound; but when you once
hear the war-whoop, you will never mistake it
for any thing else! Well, Uncas!" speaking in
the Delawore to the yourg chief as he re-entered,
"what see you? do our lights shine through the
blankets?"
The answer was short, and apparently decided,
being given in the same tongue.
" There;s nothing to be seen without," continued Hawk-eye, shaking his head in discontent;
"and our hiding-place is still in darkness! Pass
into the other cave, you that need it, and seek for
sleep; we must be afoot long before the sun, and
make the most of our time to get to Edward,
while the Mingoes are taking their morning nap.'"
Cora set the example of compliance, with a
steadiness that taught the more timid Alice the
necessity of obedience. Before leaving the place,
however, she whispered a request to Duncan that
he would follow.  Uncas raised the blanket for
their passage, and as the sisters turned to thank
him for this act of attention, they saw the scout
seated again before the, dying embers, with his
face resting on his hands, in a manner which
showed how deeply he brooded on the unaccountable interruption, which had broken up their
evening devotions.
Heyward took with him a blazing knot, which
threw a dim light through the narrow vista of their
new apartment. Placing it in a favourable position, he joined the females, who now found themselves alone with him, for the first time since they
had left the friendly ramparts of fort Edward.
"Leave us not, Duncan," said Alice; "we
cannot sleep in such a place as this, with that horrid cry still ringing in our ears!"
"First let us examine into the security of your




R84              THE LAST OF
fortress," he answered, " and then we will speak
of rest."
He approached the farther end of the cavern,
to an outlet, which, like the others, was concealed by blankets, and removing the thick skreen,
breathed the fresh and reviving air from the cataract. One arm of the river flowed through a deep,
narrow ravine, which its current had worn in the
soft rock, directly beneath his feet, forming an
effectual defence, as he believed, against any danger from, that quarter; the water, a few rods above
them, plunging, glancing, and sweeping along, in
its most violent and broken manner.
"Nature has made an impenetrable barrier on
this side," he continued, pointing down the perpendicular declivity into the dark current, before
he dropped the blanket; "and as you know that
good men and true, are on guard in front, I see
do reason why the advice of our honest host
should be disregarded. I am  certain Cora will
join me in saying, that sleep is necessary to you
both!"
" Cora may submit to the justice of your opin.
ion, though she cannot put it in practice," returned the elder sister, who had placed herself by the
side of Alice, on a couch of sassafras; "there
would be other causes to chase away sleep, though
we had been spared the shock of this mysterious
noise. Ask yourself, Heyward, can daughters forget the anxiety a father must endure, whose chil.
dren lodge, he knows not where or how, in such
a wilderness, anu in the midst of so many perils!"
" He is a soldier, and knows how to estimate
the chances of the woods."' He is a father, and cannot deny his nature."
" How kind has he ever been to all my follies!
bow tender and indulgent to all my wishes"' sob




THE MOHICANS.               85
bed Alice.   v We have been selfish, sister, in
urging our visit at such hazard!"
" I may have been rash in pressing his consent
in a moment of so much embarrassment, but 1
would have proved to him, that however others
might neglect him, in his strait, his children were
faithful!"
" When he heard of your arrival at Edward,"
said Heyward, kindly, "there was a powerful
struggle in his bosom  between fear and love,
though the latter, heightened, if possible, by so
long a separation, quickly prevailed.'It is the
spirit of my noble minded Cora that leads them,
Duncan,' he said,'and I will not balk it. Would
to God, that he who holds the honour of our royal
master in his guardianship, would show but half
her firmness.''
" And did he not speak of me, Heyward?" de
manded Alice, with jealous affection.  "Surely,
he forgot not altogether his little Elsie!"
" That were impossible, after having known hei
so well," returned the young man; " he called
y}ou by a thousand endearing epithets, that I may
not presume to use, but to the justice of which I
can warmly testify. Once, indeed, he said-"
Duncan ceased speaking; for while his eyes
were riveted on those of Alice, who had turned
towards him with the eagerness of filial affection,
to catch his words, the same strong, horrid cry, as
before, filled the air, and rendered him mute. A
long, breathless silence succeeded, during which,
each looked at the others in fearful expectation of
hearing the sound repeated. At length, the blanket
was slowly raised, and the scout stood in the aperture with a countenance whose firmness evidently
began to give way, before a mystery that seemed
H1




86                THE LAST OF
to threaten some unknown danger, against which
all his et nning and experience might prove of
no avail.
CHAPTER VII.
" They do not sleep.
On yonder cliffs, a grisly band,
I see them sit."-Gray.
"'TWOULD be neglecting a warning that is given
for our good, to lie hid any longer," said Hawkeye, " when such sounds are raised in the forest!
These gentle ones may keep close, but the Mohicans'and I will watch upon the rock, where I suppose a major of the 60th would wish to keep us
company. "
" Is then our danger so pressing?" asked Cora
"He who makes strange sounds, and gives
them out for man's information, alone knows our
danger. I should think myself wicked unto rebellion against his will, was I to burrow with such
warnings in the air! Even the weak soul, who
passes his days in singing, is stirred by the cry,
and, as he says, is' ready to go forth to the battle.'
If'twere only a battle, it would be a thing understood by us all, and. easily managed; but'l have
heard that when such shrieks are atween heaven
and'arth, it betokens another sort of warfare!"
" If all our reasons for fear, my friend, are confined to such as proceed fiom supernatural causes,
we have but little occasion to be alarmed," continued the undisturbed maiden; "are you certain
that our enemies have not invented some new and
ingenious method to strike us with terror, that
their conquest may become more easy?"




THE MOHIC ANS.               87
"Lady," returned  the scout, solemnly, "I
have listened to all the sounds of the woods for
thirty years, as a man will listen, whose life and
death depend so often on the quickness of his ears.
There is no whine of the panther: no whistle of
the cat-bird; nor any invention of the devilish
Mingoes, that can cheat me! I have heard the
forest moan like mortal men, in their affliction.;
often, and again, have I listened to the wind
playing its music in the branches of the girdled
trees; and I have heard the lightning cracking in
the air, like the snapping of blazing brush, as it
spitted forth sparks and forked flames; but never
ihave I thought that I heard more than the pleasure
cf' him, who sported with the things of his hand.
Blut neither the Mohicans, nor I, who am a white
man without a cross, can explain the cry just
heard.:We, therefore, believe it a sign given for
our good."
"It is extraordinary!"  exclaimed Heyward,
taking his pistols from the place where he had laid
them, on entering; "be it a sign of peace, or a
signal of war, it must be looked to. Lead the way,
my friend; I follow."'
On issuing from their place of confinement,: the
whole party instantly experienced a grateful renovation of their spirits, by exchanging the pent air
of their hiding place, for the cool and invigorating
atmosphere, which played around the whirlpools
and pitches of the cataract.  A  heavy evening
oreeze swept along the surface of the river, and
seemed to drive the roar of the falls into the recesses of their own caverns, whence it issued
heavily and constant, like thunder rumbling beyond the distant hills.  The moon had risen, and
its light was already glancing here and there on
the waters above them; but the extremity of the




88'THE LAST OFrock where they stood still lay in deep shadow
With the exception of the sounds produced by the
rushing waters, and an occasional breathing of the
air, as it murmured past them, in fitful currents,
the scene was as still as night and solitude could
make it. In vain were the eyes of each individual
bent along the opposite shores, in quest of some
signs of life, that might explain the nature of the
interruption they had heard. Their anxious and
eager looks were baffled by the deceptive light, or
rested only on naked rocks, or straight and imioveable trees.
"Here is nothing to be seen but the gloom and
quiet of a lovely evening," whispered Duncan;
" how much should we prize such a scene, and all
this breathing solitude, at any other moment,
Cora! Fancy yourselves in security, and what
now, perhaps, increases your terror, may be made
conducive to enjoyment-"
"Listen!" interrupted Alice.
The caution was unnecessary.  Once more the
same sound arose, as if from the bed of the river,
and having broken out of the narrow bounds of
the cliffs, was heard undulating through the forest,
in distant and dying cadences.
"Can any here give a name to such a cry?"
demanded Hawk-eye, when the last echo was lost
in the woods; " if so, let him speak; for myself,
I judge it not to belong to'arth!"
" Here, then, is one who can unc'cceive you,"
said Duncan; "I know the sound full well, for
often have I heard it on the field of battle, and in
situations which are frequent in a soldier's life.'Tis the horrid shriek that a horse will give in his
agony; oftener.drawn from  him  in pain) though
sometimes in his terror.  My charger is either a
prey to the beasts of the forest, or he sees his dan



THE MOHICANS.              89
ger without the power to avoid it.  The sound
might deceive me in the cavern, but in the open
air I know I cannot be wrong."
The scout and his companions listened to this
simple explanation with the interest of men, who
Imbibe new ideas, at the same time that they get
rid of old ones, which had proved disagreeable inmates. The two latter uttered their usual and expressive exclamation, " hugh!" as the truth first
glanced upon their minds, while the former, after
a short musing pause, took on himself to reply.
" I cannot deny your words," he said; " for 1
am little skilled in horses, though born where they
abound.  The wolves must be hovering above
their heads on the bank, and the timorsome creatures are calling on man for help, in the best manner they are able. Uncas"-he spoke in Delaware
" Uncas, drop down in the canoe, and whirl a
brand among the pack; or fear may do what the
wolves can't get at to perform, and leave us without horses in the morning, when we shall have so
much need to journey swiftly!"
The young native had already decended to the
water, to comply, when a long howl was raised on
the edge of the river, and was borne swiftly off
into the depths of the forest, as though the beasts,
of their own accord, were abandoning their prey, in
sudden terror. Uncas, with instinctive quickness,
receded, and the three foresters held another of
iheir low, earnest conferences.
6" We have bjen like hunters who have lost the
points of the heavens, and from whom the sun has
been hidfor days," said Hawk-eye, turning away
from his companions; "now we begin again to
know the signs of our course, and the paths are
cleared fiom briars! Seat yourselves in the shade,
which the moon throws from yonder beach-'tis
H e




90               THE LAST OF
thicker than that of the pines-and let us wait fot
that which the Lord may choose to send next.
Let all your conversation be in whispers; though.it would be better, and perhaps, in the end, wiser,
if each one held discourse with his own thoughts
for a time."
The manner of the scout was seriously impres
sive, though no longer distinguished by any signs
of unmanly apprehension.  It was evident, that
his momentary weakness had vanished with the
explanation of a mystery, which his own experience had not served to fathom; and though he
now felt all the realities of their actual condition,
that he was prepared to meet them with the fullest energy of his hardy nature. This feeling
seemed also common to the natives, who placed
themselves in positions which commanded a full
view of both shores, while their own persons were
effectually concealed from observation.  In such
circumstances, common prudence dictated that
Heyward, and his companions, should imitate a
caution that proceeded from so intelligent a source.
The young man drew a pile of the sassafras from
the cave, and placing it in the chasm which separated the two caverns, it was occupied by the
sisters; who were thus protected by the rocks from
any missiles, while their anxiety was relieved by
the assurance that no danger could approach without a warning.  Heyward himself was posted at
hand, so near that he might communicate with his
companions without raising his voice to a dangerous elevation; while David, in imitation of the
woodsmen, bestowed his person in such a manner
among the fissures of the rocks, that his ungainly
limbs were no longer offensive to the eye.
In this manner, hours passed by without further
interruption   The moon reached the zenith, and




THE MOHICANS.               91
shed its mild light, perpendicularly, on the lovely
sight of the sisters, slumbering peacefully in each
other's arms  Duncan cast the wide shawl of Cora
before a spectacle he so much loved to contemplate,
and then suffered his own head to seek a pillow on
tie rock. David began to utter sounds that would
have shocked his delicate organs in more wakeful
moments; in short, all but Hawk-eye and the
Mohicans lost every idea of consciousness, in uncontrollable drowsiness.  But the watchfulness of
these vigilant protectors, neither tired nor slumbered.  Immoveable as that rock, of which each
appeared to form a part, they lay, with their eyes
roving, without intermission, along the dark margin of trees that bounded the adjacent shores of
the narrow stream. Not a sound escaped them;
the most subtle examination could not have told
they breathed.  It was evident, that this excess of
caution proceeded, from an experience, that no
subtlety on the part of their enemies could deceive.
It vwas, however, continued without any apparent
consequences, until the moon had set, and a pale
streak above the tree tops, at a bend of the river,
a little below, announced the approach of day.
Then, for the first time, Hawk-eye was seen to
stir. He crawled along the rock, and shook Duncan from his heavy slumbers.
"Now is the time to journey," he whispered;
"awake the gentle ones, and be ready to get into
the canoe when I bring it to the landing place."
"Have you had a quiet night," said Heyward;
"for myself, I believe sleep has gotten the better
of my vigilance."'All is yet still as midnight.. Be silent, out
be quick."
By this time Duncan was thoroughly awake, and
he immediately lifted the shawl from the sleeping




92              THE LAST OF
fair ones.  The motion caused Cora to raise her
hand as if to repulse him, while Alice murmured,
in her soft, gentle voice, " No, no, dear father, we
were not deserted; Duncan was with us."
" Yes, sweet innocence," whispered the delighted youth; "Duncan is here, and while life continue,
or danger remain, he will never quit thee. Coral
Alice! awake! The hour has come to move!"
A loud shriek from the younger of the sisters,
and the form of the other standing upright before
him, in bewildered horror, was the unexpected
answer he received.  While the words were still
on the lips of Heyward, there had arisen such a
tumult of yells and cries, as served to drive the
swift currents of his own youthful blood, back
from its bounding course into the fountains of his
heart.  It seemed, for near a minute, as if the
demons of hell had possessed themselves of the
air about them, and were venting their savage
humours in barbarous sounds.  The cries came
from no particular direction, though it was evident
they filled the woods, and, as the appalled listeners
easily imagined, the caverns of the falls, the rocks,
the bed of the river, and the upper air. David
raised his tall person in the midst of the infernal
din, with a hand on either ear, exclaiming"Whence comes this discord! Has hell broke
loose, that man should utter sounds like these!"
The bright flashes, and the quick reports of a
dozen rifles, from the opposite banks of the stream,
followed this incautious exposure of his person,
and left the unfortunate singing master, senseless,
on that rock where he had been so long slumbering.  The Mohicans boldly sent back the intimidating yell of their enemies, who raised a shout
of savage triumph as they witnessed the fall of
Garnrmt. The fi'sh of resfles wn.s +ten q'1^"k  n::




THE MOHICANS.                93
close between them, but either party was too well
skilled to leave even a limb exposed to the hostile
aim.  Duncan listened with intense anxiety for
the strokes of the paddle, believing that flight
was now their only refuge.  The river glanced
by with its ordinary velocity, but the canoe was
no where to be seen on its dark waters. He had
just fancied they were cruelly deserted by the
scout, as a stream of flame issued from the rock
beneath him, and a fierce yell, blended with a
shriek of agony, announced that the messenger of
death, hurried from the fatal weapon of Hawkeye, had found a victim.  At this slight repulse
the assailants instantly withdrew, and, gradually,
the place became still as before the sudden tumuit.
Duncan seized the favourable imoment to spring
to the body of Gamut, which he bore within the
shelter of the narrow chasm that protected the
sisters.  In another minute the whole party was
collected in this spot of comparative safety.
"The poor fellow has saved his scalp," said
Hawk-eye, coolly passing his hand over the head
of David; " but he is a proof that a man may be
born with too long a tongue!'Twas downright
madness to show six feet of flesh and blood, on a
naked rock, to the raging savages; and I only
wonder he has escaped with life."
"Is he not dead!" demanded Cora, in a voice
whose husky tones showed how powerfully, natural horror struggled with her assumed firmness.'Can we do aught to assist the wretched man?'
" No, no! the life is in his heart yet, and after
he has slept awhile he will come to himself, and
be a wiser man for it, till the hour of his real time
shall come," returned Hawk-eye, casting another
oblique glance at the insensible body, while he
filled his charger with adimirable nicety. "Crtrv




94               THE LAST OF
him in, Uncas, and lay him on the saxafrax. The
longer his nap lasts the better it will be for him;
as I doubt whether he can find a proper cover for
such a shape on these rocks; and singing won't do
any good with the Iroquois."
" You believe, then, the attack will be renewed?".sked Heyward.'Do I expect a hungry wolf will satisfy his
craving with a mouthful  They have lost a man,
and'tis their fashion, when they meet a loss, and
fail in the surprise, to fall back; but we shall
have them on again, with new expedients to circumvent us, and master our scalps.  Our main
hope," he continued, raising his rugged countenance, across which a shade of anxiety just then
passed like a darkening cloud, "will be to keep
tle rock until Munro can send a party to our help!
God send it may be soon, and under a leader that
well knows the Indian customs!"
"You hear our probable fortunes, Cora," said
Duncan; "and you know we have every thing to
hope from  the anxiety and experience of your
father. Come, then, with Alice, into this cavern,
where you, at least, will be safe from the murderous rifles of our enemies, and where you may bestow a care suited to your gentle natures, on our
unfortunate comrade."
The sisters followed him into the outer cave,
where David was beginning, by his sighs, to give
symptonms of returning consciousness, and, then,
commending the wounded man to their attention,
he immediately prepared to leave them.
"Duncan!" said the tremulous voice of Cora,
when he had reached the mouth of the cavern,
mmediately arresting the steps of the youth. He
turned, and beheld the speaker, whose rich colour
had changed to a deadly paleness, and whose-lip




THE MOHICANS.                95
quivered with her emotion, gazing after him, with
an expression of interest which immediately recalled him  to her side.  "Remember, Duncan,
how necessary your safety is to our own-how
you bear a father's sacred trust-how much (depends on your discretion and care-in short," she
added, while the tell-tale blood stole over her
features, crimsoning her very temples, "how very
deservedly dear you are to all of the name of
Munro."
" If any thing could add to my own base love
of life," said Heyward, suffering his unconscious
eyes to wander to the youthful form of the silent
Alice; "it would be so kind an assurance.  As
major of the 60th, our honest host will tell you I
must take my share of the fray: but our task will
be easy; it is merely to keep these blood-hounds
at bay for a few hours."
Without waiting for any reply, he tore himself
from the presence of the sisters, and joined the
scout and his companions, who still lay within the
protection of the little chasm, between the two
caves.' I tell you, Uncas," said the former, as Heyward joined them, "you are wasteful of your
powder, and the kick of the rifle disconcerts your
aim! Little powder, light lead, and a long arm, seldom fail of bringing the death screech from a
Mingo   kt least, such has been my experience
with the creaturs.  Come, friends; let us to our
covers, for no man can tell when or where a
Maqua will strike his blow!"
The Indians silently repaired to their appointed
stations, which were fissures in the rocks, whence
they could command the approaches to the foot of
the falls.  In the centre of the little island, a few
short and stinted pines had found root, forming a




96                THE LAST OF
thicket, into which Hawk-eye darted, with the
swiftness of a deer, followed by the active Duncan.  Here they secured themselves, as well as
circumstances would permit, among the shrubs
and fragments of stone that were scattered about
the place. Above them was a bare, rounded rock,
on either side of which the water played its gambols, and plunged into the abysses beneath, in the
manner already described. As the day had now
dawned, the opposite shores no longer presented
a confused outline, but they were able to look into
the woods, and distinguish objects, beneath the
dark canopy of gloomy pines and bushes.
A long and anxious watch succeeded, but without any further evidences of a renewed attack,
and Duncan began to hope that their fire had
proved more fatal than was supposed, and that
their enemies had been effectually repulsed. When
he ventured to utter this impression to his companion, it was met by Hawk-eye with an incredulous shake of the head, as he answered"You know not the nature of a Maqua, if you
think he is so easily beaten back, without a scalp!
If there was one of the imps yelling this morning,
there were forty! and they know our number and
quality too well to give up the chase so soon.
Hist! look into the water above, just where it
breaks over the rocks.  I am no mortal, if the
risky devils haven't swam down upon the very
pitch, and as bad luck would have it, they have
hit the head of the island! Hist.! man, keep close!
or the hair will be off your crown in the turning of
a knife!"
Heyward lifted his head from the cover, and
beheld what he justly considered a prodigy of
rashness and skill.  The river had worn away
the edge of the soft rock in such a-manner, as to




THE MOHICANS.               97
render its first pitch less abrupt and perpendieu
lar, than is usual at waterfalls. With no other
guide than the ripple of the stream where it met
the head of the island, a party of their insatiable
foes had ventured into the current, and swam down
upon this point, knowing the ready access it would
give them, if successful, to their intended victims
As Hawk-eye ceased speaking, four human heads
could be seen peering above a few logs of drift
wood, that had lodged on these naked rocks, and
which had probably suggested the idea of the
practicability of the hazardous undertaking.  At
the next moment, a fifth form was seen floating
over the green edge of the fall, a little from the
true line of the island. The savage struggled powerfully to gain the point of safety, and favoured by
the glancing water, he was already stretching forth
an arm to meet the grasp of his companions, when
he shot away again with the whirling current, appeared to rise into the air, with uplifted arms, and
starting eye-balls, and then fell, with a sullen
plunge, into that deep and yawning abyss over
which he hovered.  A single, wild, despairing
shriek, rose from the cavern, above the dull roar
of the cataract, and all was hushed again as the
grave.
The first generous impulse of Duncan, was to
rush to the rescue of the hapless wretch, but he
felt himself bound to the spot, by the iron grasp
of the immoveable scout.
"Woull ye bring certain death upon us, by
telling the Mingoes where we lie?" demanded
Hawk-eye, sternly; "'tis a charge of powder
saved, and ammunition is as precious now as
breath to a worried deer! Freshen the priming of'
your Distols-the mist of the falls is apt to dampen




98               THE LAST OF
the brimstone-and stand firm for a close struggle,
while I fire on their rush."
He placed his finger in his mouth, and drew a
long, shrill whistle, which was answered from the
rocks below, that were guarded by the Mohicans.
Duncan caught glimpses of heads above the scattered drift wood, as this signal rose on the air, but.
they disappeared again as suddenly as they had
glanced upon his sight.  A low, rustling sound,
next drew his attention behind him, and turning
his head, he beheld Uncas within a few feet,
creeping to his side.  Hawk-eye spoke to him in
Delaware, when the young chief took his position
with singular caution, and undisturbed coolness.
To Heyward this was a moment of feverish and
impatient suspense; though the scout saw fit to
select it as a fitoccasion to read a lecture to his
more youthful associates, on the art of using firearms with discretion.
" Of all we'pons," he commenced, " the long
barrelled, true grooved, soft metalled rifle, is the
most dangerous in skilful hands, though it wants
a strong arm, a quick eye, and great judgment in
charging, to put forth all its beauties.  The gunsmiths can have but little insight into their trade,
when they make their fowling-pieces and short
horsemens'-"
He was interrupted by the low, but expressive' hugh" of Uncas.
"I see them, boy, I see them!" continued Hawk
eye; " they are gathering for their rush, or they
would keep their dingy backs below the logs
Well, let-them," he added, examining his flint,
the leading man certainly comes on to his death
though it should be Montcalm himself!"
At that moment the woods were filled with
another burst of cries, and, at the signal, four




THE MOHICANS.              99
savages sprang from the cover of the drift wood.
Heyward felt a burning desire to rush forward to
meet them, so intense was the delirious anxiety of
the moment, but he was restrained by the deliberate examples of the scout and Uncas. When their
foes, who leaped over the black rocks that divided
them with long bounds, uttering the wildest yells,
were within a few rods, the rifle of Hawk-eye
slowly rose among the shrubs, and poured out its
fatal contents. The foremost Indian bounded like
a stricken deer, and fell headlong among the clefts
of the island.
"Now, Uncas!" cried the scout, drawing his
long knife, while his quick eyes began to flash
with ardour, "take the screeching imp behind; of
the other two we are sartain!"
He was obeyed; and but two enemies remained
to be overcome.  Heyward had given one of his
pistols to Hawk-eye, and together they rushed
down a little declivity towards their foes; they
discharged their weapons at the same instant, and
equally without success.
"I know'd it! and I said it!" muttered the
scout, whirling the despised little implement over
rthe falls, with bitter disdain. " Come on, ye
bloody minded hell-hounds! ye Ineet a man with
out a cross!"
The words were barely uttered, when he en
countered a savage of gigantic stature, and of tile
fiercest mien.  At the same moment, Duncan
found himself engaged with the other, in a sini
lar contest of hand to hand. With ready skill,
Hawk-eye and his antagonist each grasped that
uplifted arm of the other, which held the dangerous knife. For near a minute, they stood looking
one another in the eye, and gradually exerting the
power of their muscles for the mastery. At length,




100              THE LAST OF
the toughened sinews of the white man prevailed
over the less practised limbs of the native.  The
arm of the latter slowly. gave way before the increasing force of the scout, who suddenly wresting
his armed hand from  the grasp of his foe, drove
the sharp weapon through his naked bosom to ihe
heart.  In the meantime, Heyward had been
pressed in a more deadly struggle.  His slight
sw )rd was snapped in the first encounter. As he
was destitute of any other means of defence, his
safety now depended entirely on bodily strength
and resolution.  Though deficient in neither of
these qualities, he had met an enemy every way
his equal. Happily, he soon succeeded in disarming his adversary, whose knife fell on the rock at
their feet, and from this moment it became a fierce
struggle, who should cast the other over the dizzy
height, into a neighbouring cavern of the falls.
Every successive struggle brought them nearer to
the verge, where Duncan perceived the final and
conquering effort must be made.  Each of the
combatants threw all his energies into that effort,
and the result was, that both tottered on the brink
of the precipice.  Heyward felt the grasp of the
other at his throat, and saw the grim smile the
savage gave, under the revengeful hope that he
hurried his enemy to a fate similar to his own, as he
felt his body slowly yielding to a resistless power,
and the young man experienced the passing agony
of such a moment in all its horrors. At that instant of extreme danger, a dark hand and glancing
knife appeared before him; the Indian released
his hold, as the blood flowed freely from around
the severed tendons of his wrist; and while Duncan was drawn backward by the saving arm  of
Uncas, his charmed eyes were still riveted on the
herce and disappointed countenance of his foe,




THE MOHICANS.               101
who fell sullenly and disappointed down the irrecoverable precipice.
" To cover!, to cover!" cried Hawk-eye, who
just then had despatched his enemy; "to cover,
for your lives! the work is but half ended!"
The young Mohican gave a loud shout of tri~imph, and followed by Duncan, he glided up the
acclivity they had descended to the combat, and
sougilt the friendly shelter of the rocks and shrubs.
CHAPTER VIII.
" They linger yet,
Avengers of their native land."-Gray.
THE warning call of the scout was not uttered
without occasion.  During the occurrence of the
deadly encounter just related, the roar of the falls
was unbroken by any human sound whatever. It
would seem, that interest in the result had kept
the natives; on the opposite shores, in breathless
suspense, while the quick evolutions and swift
changes in the positions of the combatants, effectually prevented a fire, that might prove dangerous alike to friend and enemy. But the moment
the struggle was decided, a yell arose, as fierce
and savage as wild and revengeful passions could
throw into the air. It was followed by the swift
flashes of the rifles, which sent their leaden messengers across the rock in vollies, as though the
assailants would pour out their impotent fury on
the insensible scene of the fatal contest.
A steady, though deliberate, return was made
from the rifle of Chingachgook, who had maintainpd his post throughout the fray with unmoved
f-2




102             THE LAST OP
resolution. When the triumphant shout of Utl
cas was borne to his ears, the gratified father had
raised his voice in a single responsive cry, after
which his busy piece alone proved that he still
guarded his pass with unwearied diligence.  In
this manner many minutes flew by with the swiftness of thought; the rifles of the assailants speaking, at times, in rattling vollies, and at others, in
occasional, scattering shots.  Though the rock,
tile trees, and the shrubs, were cut and torn in a
hundred places around the besieged, their cover
was so close, and so rigidly maintained, that, as
yet, David had been the only sufferer in their little
band.
"Let them burn their powder," said the delibe
rate scout, while bullet after bullet whizzed by the
place where he so securely lay; "there will be a
fine gathering of lead when it is over, and I fancy
the imps will tire of the sport, afore these old
stones cry out'for mercy! Uncas, boy, you waste
the kernels by overcharging; and a kicking rifle
never carries a true bullet. I told you to take that
loping miscreant under the line of white paint;
now, if your bullet went a hair's breadth, it went
two inches above it.  The life lies low in a Mingo, and humanity teaches us to make a quick end
of the sarpents."
A quiet smile lighted the haughty features of
the young Mohican, betraying his knowledge of
the English language, as well as of the other's
meaning, but he suffered it to pass away without
vindication or reply.
" I cannot permit you to accuse Uneas of want
of judgment or of skill," said Duncan; "he saved
my life in the coolest and readiest manner, and he
has made a friend who never will require to be
reminded of the debt he owes."




THE MOHICANS.               109
Uncas partly raised his body, and offered his
nand to the grasp of Heyward.  During this act
of friendship, the two young men exchanged looks.
of intelligence, which caused Duncan to forget the
character and condition of his wild associate.  In
the meanwhile, Hawk-eye, who looked on this
burst of youthful feeling with a cool but kind regard, made the following calm reply:
"Life is an obligation which friends often owe
to each other in the wilderness.  I dare say I may
have served Uncas some such turn myself before
now; and I very well remember, that he has stood
between me and death five different times: three
times from the Mingoes, once in crossing Horican,
and-"
"That bullet was better aimed than common!"
exclaimed Duncan, involuntarily shrinking from
a shot which struck on the rock at his side with a
smart rebound.
Hawk-eye laid his hand on the shapeless metal,
and shook his head, as he examined it, saying,
" Falling lead is never flattened! had it come from
the clouds this might have happened!"
But the rifle of Uncas was deliberately raised
toward the heavens, directing the eyes of his companions to a point, where the mystery was immediately explained.  A ragged oak grew on the
right bank of the river, nearly opposite to their
position, which, seeking the freedom of the open
space, had inclined so far forward, that its upper
branches overhung that arm of the streami which
fowed nearest to its own shore.  Among the topmost leaves, which scantily concealed the gnarled
and stinted limbs, a (lark looking savage was
nestled, partly concealed by the trunk of the tree,
and partly exposed, as though looking down upon




104              THE LAST O0
them, to ascertain the effect produced by his
treacherous aim.
"These devils will scale heaven to circumvent
us toour ruin," said Hawk-eye; "keep him in
play, boy, until I can bring'kill-deer' to bear,
when we will.try his metal on each side of the
tree at once."
Uncas delayed his fire until the scout uttered
the word.  The rifles flashed, the leaves and
bark of the oak flew into the air, and were scat.
tered by the wind, but the Indian answered their
assault by a taunting laugh, sending down upon
them another bullet in return, that struck the cap
of Hawk-eye from his head. Once more the savage yells burst out of the woods, and the leaden
hail whistled above the heads of the besieged.
as if to confine them to a place where they might
become easy victims to the enterprise of the warrior who had mounted the tree.
" This must be looked to!" said the scout, glancing about him with an anxious eye.  "Uncas,
call up your father; we have need of all our
we'pons to bring the cunning varment from his
roost. "
The signal was instantly given; and, before
Hawk-eye had reloaded his rifle, they were joined
by Chingachgook.  When his son pointed out to
the experienced warrior the situation of their dangerous enemy, the usual exclamatory  "hugh,"
burst from his lips; after which, no further expression of surprise or alarm was suffered to escape
from him. Hawk-eye and the Mohicans conversed
earnestly together in Delaware for a few moments,
when each quietly took llis post, in order to execute the plan they had speedily devised.
The warrior in the oak had maintained a quick,
though ineffectual, file, from the moment of his




THE MOH] CANS.             105
discovery.  But his aim was interrupted by lhe
vigilance of his enemies, whose rifles instantaneously bore on any part of his person that was
left exposed.  Still his bullets fell in the centre
of the crouching party. The clothes of Heyward
which rendered him peculiarly conspicuous, were
repeatedly cut, and once blood was drawn from a
slight wound in his arm.
At length, emboldened by the long and patient
watchfulness of his enemies, the Huron attempted
a better and more fatal aim. The quick eyes of
the Mohicans caught the dark line of his lower
limbs incautiouslyexposed through the thin foliage,
a few inches from the trunk of the tree.  Their
rifles made a common report, when, sinking on
his wounded limb, part of the body of the savage
came into view.  Swift as thought, Hawk-eye
seized the advantage, and discharged his fatal
weapon into the top of the oak. The leaves were
unusually agitated; the dangerous rifle fell from
its commanding elevation, and after a few moments of vain struggling, the form of the savage
was seen swinging in the wind, while he grasped
a ragged and naked branch of the tree with his
hands clenched in desperation.
"Give him, in pity; give him, the contents of
another rifle!" cried Duncan, turning away his
eyes in horror from the spectacle of a fellow creature in such awful jeopardy.
" Not a karnel!" exclaimed the obdurate Hawk
eye; " his death is certain, and we have no pow
der to spare, for Indian fights, sometimes, last foI
days;'tis their scalps, or ours!-and God, who
made us, has put into our natures the craving after
life!"
Against this stern and unyielding morality, supported, as it was, by such visible policy, there




106              THE LAST OF
was no appeal.  From that moment the yells in
the forest once more ceased, the fire was suffered
to decline, and all eyes, those of friends, as well
as enemies, became fixed on the hopeless condition of the wretch, who was dangling between
heaven and earth.  The body yielded to the curre its of air, and though no murmur or groan
escaped the victim, there were instants when he
grimly faced his foes, and the anguish of cold
despair might be traced, through the intervening
distance, in possession of his swarthy lineaments.
Three several times the scout raised his piece in
mercy, and as often prudence getting the better
of his intention, it was again silently lowered. At
length, one hand of the Huron lost its hold, and
dropped exhausted to his side.  A desperate and
fruitless struggle to recover the branch succeeded,
and then the savage was seen for a fleeting instant,
grasping wildly at the empty air. The lightning
is not quicker than was the flame from the rifle of
Hawk-eye; the limbs of the victim trembled and
contracted, the head fell to the bosom, and the
body parted the foaming waters, like lead, when
the element closed above it, in its ceaseless velocity, and, every vestige of the unhappy Huron
was lost for ever.
No shout of triumph succeeded this important
advantage, but the Mohicans gazed at each other
in silent horror.  A  single yell burst from the
woods, and all was again still.  Hawk-eye, who
alone appeared to reason on the occasion, shook
his head, at his own momentary weakness, even
uttering his self-disapprobation aloud.
"'Twas the last charge in my horn, and the
last bullet in my pouch, and'twas the act of a
boy!" le said; "what mattered it whether he
struck the rock living or dead! feeling would soon




THE MOHICANS.               107
be over. Uncas, lad, go down to the canoe, arnd
bring up the big horn; it is all the powder we
have left, and we shall need it to the last grain,
or I am ignorant of the Mingo nature."
The young Mohican instantly complied, leaving the scout turning over the useless contents of
his pouch, and shaking the empty horn with renewed discontent.  From this unsatisfactory examination, however, he was soon called by a loud
and piercing exclamation from Uncas, that sounded even to the unpractised ears of Duncan, as the
signal of some new  and unexpected calamity.
Every thought filled with apprehension for the'
precious treasure he had concealed in the cavern,
the young man started to his feet, totally regardless of the hazard he incurred by such an exposure.
As if actuated by a common impulse, his movement was imitated by his companions, and, together, they rushed down the pass to the friendly
chasm, with a rapidity that rendered the scattering fire of their enemies perfectly harmless. The
unwonted cry had brought the sisters, together
with the wounded David, from  their place of
refuge, and the whole party, at a single glance,
was made acquainted with the nature of the disaster, that had disturbed even the practised stoicism
of their youthful Indian protector.
At a short distance from the rock, their little
bark was to be seen floating across the eddy, towards the swift current of the river, in a manner
which proved that its course was directed by some
hidden agent.  The instant this unwelcome sight
caught the eye of the scout, his rifle was levelled,
as by instinct, but the barrel gave no answer to
tle bright sparks of the flint.
"'Tis too late,'tis too late!" Hawk-eye exclaimed, dropping the useless piece, in bitter dis



108              THE LAST OF
appointment; " the miscreant has struck the rapid,
and had we powder, it could hardly send the lead
swifter than he now goes!"
As he ended, the adventurous Huron raised his
head above the shelter of the canoe, and while it
glided swiftly down the stream, waved his hand,
and gave forth the shout, which was the known
signal of success. His cry was answered by a yell,
anrd a laugh from the woods, as tauntingly exulting
as if fifty demons were uttering their blasphemies
at the fall of some Christian soul.
" Well may you laugh, ye children of the
devil!" said the scout, seating himself oi a projection of the rock, and suffering his gun toi fall
neglected at his feet, "for the three quickest and.
truest rifles in these woods, are no better than so
many stalks of mullen, or the last year's horns of
a buck!'
" What, then, is to be done?" demanded Dun
can, losing the first feeling of disappointment, in
a more manly desire for exertion; " what will
become of us?"
Hawk-eye made no other reply than by passing
his finger around the crown of his head, in a man
ner so significant, that none who witnessed the
action could mistake its meaning.
" Surely, surely, our case is not so desperate!'
exclaimed the youth; " the Hurons are not here,
we may make good the caverns; we may oppose
their landing."
"With  what?" coolly demanded the scout.
" The arrows of Uncas, or such tears as womep
shed! No, no; you are young, and rich, and have
friends, and at such an age I know it is hard to
die! but," glancing his eyes at the Mohicans,
" let us remember, we are men without a cross,
and let us teach these natives of the forest, that




THE MOHICANS.               109
white blood can run as freely as red, when the
appointed hour is come."
Duncan turned quickly in the direction indi
cated by the other's eyes, and read a confirmation
of his worst apprehensions in the conduct of the
Indians. Chingachgook, placing himself in a dignified posture on another fragment of the rock,
had already laid aside his knife and tomahawk,
and was in the act of taking the eagle's plume'from his head, and smoothing the solitary tuft of
hair, in readiness to perform its last and revolting
office.  His countenance was composed, though
thoughtful, while his dark, gleaming eyes, were
gradually losing the fierceness of the combat in an
expression better suited to the change he expected, momentarily; to undergo.
"Our case is not, cannot, be so hopeless!" said
Duncan; " even at this very moment succour may
be at hand. I see no enemies! they have sickened of a struggle, in which they risk so much with
so little prospect of gain!"
"It may be a minute, or it may be an houi,
afore the wily sarpents steal upon us, and its quite
in natur for them to be lying within hearing at
this very moment," said Hawk-eye; "but come
they will, and in such a fashion as will leave us
nothing to hope! Chingachgook"-he spoke in
Delaware —" my brother, we have fought our last
battle together, and the Maquas will triumph in
the death of the sage man of the Mohicans, and
of the pale face, whose eyes can make night as
day, and level the clouds to the mists of the
springs!"
"'Let the Mingo women go vweep over their
slain!" returned the Indian, with characteristic
pride, and unmoved firmness; "the great snake
of the Mohicans has coiled himself in their wigK




110              THE LAST OF
warns, and has poisoned their triumph with the
wailings of children, whose fathers have not returned! Eleven warriors lie hid from the graves
of their tribe, since the snows have melted, and
none will tell where to find them, when the tongue
of Chingachgook shall be silent! Let them draw
the sharpest knife, and whirl the swiftest tomahawk, for their bitterest enemy is in their hands.
Uncas, my boy, topmost branch of a noble trunk,
call on the cowards to hasten, or their hearts will
soften, and they will change to women!"
"They look among the fishes for their dead!"
returned the low, soft voice of the youthful chieftain; "the Hurons float with the slimy eels! They
drop from the oaks like fruit that is ready to be
eaten! and the Delawares laugh!"
" Ay, ay," muttered the scout, who had listened to this peculiar burst of the natives with deep
attention; "they have warmed their Indian feelings, and they'll soon provoke the Maquas to give
them a speedy end. As for me, who am of the
whole blood of the whites, it is befitting that I
should die as becomes my colour, with no words
of scoffing in my mouth, and without bitterness
at the heart!"
"Why die at all!" said Cora, advancing from
the place where natural horror had, until this moment, held her riveted to the rock; "the path
is open on every side; fly, then, to the woods,
and call on God for succour! Go, brave men, we
)we you too much already; let us no longer involve you in our hapless fortunes!"
"You but little know the craft of the Iroquois,
lady, if you judge they have left the path open to
the woods!" returned Hawk-eye, who, however,
immediately added in his simplicity; " the down
stream current, it is certain, might soon sweep us




THE MOHICANS.              Ill
beyond the reach of their rifles, or the sounds of
their voices. "
" Then try the river. Why linger, to add to the
number of the victims of our merciless enemies?"
" Why'' repeated the scout, looking about him
proudly,' because it is better for a man to die a
peace with himself, than to live haunted by an
evil conscience! What answer could we give to
Munro, when he asked us, where and how we
left his children?"
" Go to him, and say, that you left them with a
message to hasten to their aid," returned Cora, advancing nigher to the scout, in her generous ardour; " that the Hurons bear them into the north
ern wilds, but that by vigilance and speed they
may yet be rescued; and if, after all, it should
please heaven, that his assistance come too late,
bear to him," she continued, the firm tones of her
voice gradually lowering, until they seemed nearly
choked, "1the love, the blessings, the final prayers
of his daughters, and bid him not to mourn their
early fate, but to look forward with humble confidence to the Christian's goal to meet his children."
The hard, weather-beaten features of the scout
began sensibly to work, as he listened, and when
she had ended, he dropped his chin to his hand,
like a man musing profoundly on the nature of
her proposal.
"There is reason in her words!" at length
broke from his compressed and trembling lips;
" ay, and they bear the spirit of christianity; what
might be right and proper in a red skin, may be
sinful in a man who has not even a cross in blood
to plead for his ignorance. Chingachgook! Uncast
hear you the talk of the dark-eyed woman!"
He now spoke in Delaware to his companions,
and his address, though calm and deliberate, seem




112             THE LAST OF
ed very decided. The elder Mohican heard him
with deep gravity, and appeared to ponder on his
words, as though he felt the importance of their
import. After a moment of hesitation, he waved
his hand in assent, and uttered the English word
" good," with the peculiar emphasis of his people.
Then, replacing his knife and tomahawk in his
girdle, the warrior moved silently to the edge of
the'rock most concealed from the hostile banks of
the.river.  Here he paused a moment, pointed
significantly to the woods below, and saying a few
words in his own language, as if indicating his
intended route, he dropped into the water, and
sunk from before the eyes of the anxious witnesses
of his movements.
The scout delayed his departure to speak to the
generous maiden, whose breathing became lighter
as she saw the success of her remonstrance.
" Wisdom is sometimes given to the young, as
well as to the old," he said; "and what you have
spoken is wise, not to call it by a better word. If
you are led into the woods, that is, such of you
as may be spared for a while, break the twigs on
the bushes as you pass, and make the marks ot
your trail, as broad as you can, when, if mortal
eyes can see them, depend on  having a friend who
will follow to the ends of the'arth afore he desarts you. "
He gave Cora an affectionate shake of the hand,
lifted his rifle, and after regarding it a moment
with melancholy solicitude, laid it carefully aside,
and descended to the place where Chingachgook
had just disappeared. For an instant he hung suspended by the rock; and looking about him, with
a countenance of peculiar care, he added, bitterly,
"Had the powder held out, this disgrace could
never have befallen!" then, loosening his hold,




THE MOHICANS.             113
the water closed above his head, and he also Decame lost to view.
All eyes were now turned on Uncas, who stood
leaning against the ragged rock, in immoveable
composure. After waiting a short time, Cora pointed down the river, and said"Your friends, as you perceive, have not been
seen, and are now, most probably, in safety; is it
not time for you to follow?"
"Uncas will stay," the young Mohican calmly
answered, in his imperfect English.
"To increase the horror of our capture, and to
diminish the chances of our release! Go, generous
young man," Cora continued, lowering her eyes
unler the ardent gaze of the Mohican, and, perhaps, with an intuitive consciousness of her power;
" go to my father, as I have said, and be the most
confidential of my messengers. Tell him to trust
you with the means to buy the freedom  of his
daughters. Go;'tis my wish,'tis my prayer, that
you will go!"
The settled, calm, look of the young chief,
changed to an expression of gloom, but he no
longer hesitated. With a noiseless step he crossed
the rock, and dropped into the troubled stream.
Hardly a breath was drawn by those he left behind, until they caught a glimpse of his head
emerging for air, far down the current. when ho
again sunk, and was seen no more.
These sudden and apparently successful experiments had all taken place in a few minutes of that
time, which had now become so precious.  After
the last look at Uncas, Cora turned, and, with a
quivering lip, addressed herself to Heyward'.
"I have heard of your boasted skill in the
water, too, Duncan," she said; "follow, then
K2




114      THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
the wise example set you by these simple and
faithful beings."
" Is such the faith that Cora Munro would
exact from her protector," said the young man,
smiling, mournfully, but with bitterness.
"This is not a time for idle subtleties and false
opinions," she answered; " but a moment when
every duty should be equally considered. To us
you can be of no further service here, but your
precious life may be saved for other and nearer
friends."
He made no reply, though his eyes fell wistfully on the beautiful form of Alice, who was clinging to his arm with the dependency of an infant.
"Consider, after all," continued Cora, after a
pause of a moment, during which she seemed to
struggle with a pang, even more acute than any
that her fears had excited, " the worst to us can
be but death; a tribute that all must pay at the
good time of God's appointment."
" There are evils even worse than death," said
Duncan, speaking hoarsely, and as if fretful at
her importunity, " but which the presence of one
who would die in your behalf may avert"
Cora instantly ceased her entreaties, and veiling
her face in her shawl, drew the nearly insensible
Alice after her into the deepest recess of the
inner cavern.




CHAPTER IX..
" Be gay secur(-ly;
Dispel, my fair, with smiles, the tim'rous cl)uis,
That hang on thy clear brow."-Death of JAgrippina.
rTHE sudden and almost magical change,. from
the stirring incidents of the combat, to the stillness that now reigned around him, acted on the
heated imagination of Heyward like some exciting
dream.  While all the images and events he had
witnessed  remained deeply impressed  on  his
memory, he felt a difficulty in persuading himself
of their truth.  Still ignorant of the fate of those
who had trusted to the aid of the swift current, he
at first listened intently to any signal, or sounds of
alarm, which might announce the good or evil foltune of their hazardous undertaking.  His attention was, however, bestowed in vain; for with the
disappearance of Uncas, every sign of the adventurers had been lost, leaving him in total uncertainty of their subsequent fate.
In a moment of such painful doubt, Duncan (lid
not hesitate to look about him, without consulting
that protection from the rocks which just before
had been so necessary to his safety.  Every effort,
however, to detect the least evidence of the approach of their hidden enemies, was as fruitless as
the inquiry after his late companions. The wooled banks of the river seemed again deserted by
every' thing possessing animal life. The uproar
which had so lately echoed through the vaults of
tie forest was gone, leaving the rush of the waters
to swell and sink on the currents of the air, in the
unmingled sweetness of nature.  A  fish-hawk,
who, secure on the topmost branches of a dead




116              THE LAST OF
pine, had been a distant spectator of the tray, now
stooped from his high and ragged perch, and soared, in wide sweeps, above his prey; while a jay,
whose noisy voice had been stilled by the hoarser
cries of the savages, ventured again to open his
discordant throat, as though once more left in un
disturbed possession of his wild domains. Duncan
caught from these natural accompaniments of the
solitary scene a glimmering of hope, and he began
to rally his faculties to renewed exertions, with
something like a reviving confidence in their
success.
" The Hurons are not to be seen," he said, addressing David, whose faculties had by no means
recovered from the effects of the stunning blow he
had received; "let us conceal ourselves in the
cavern, and trust the rest to Providence."
" I remember to have united with two comely
maidenis, in lifting up our voices in praise and
thanksgiving," returned the bewildered singingmaster; "since which time I have been visited by
a heavy judgment for my sins.  I have been
mocked with the likeness of sleep, while sounds
of d'iscord have rent my ears; such as might manifest the fulness of time; and that nature had forgotten her harmony."
" Poor fellow! thine own period was, in truth,
near its accomplishment! But arouse, and come
with me; I will lead you where all other sounds,
but those of your own psalmody, shall be excluded."
"There is melody in the fall of the cataract,
and the rushing of many waters is sweet to the
senses!" said David, pressing his hand confusedly
on his brow.  " Is not the air yet filled with
shrieks and cries, as though the departed spirits
of the damned —




THE MOHICANS.              117,' Not now, not now," interrupted the impatient
Heyward, " they have ceased; and they who raised
them, I trust in God, they are gone too! every
thing hut the water is still and at peace; in, then,
where you may create those sounds you love so
well to hear."
David smiled sadly, though not without a momentary gleam of pleasure lighting his countenance,
at this allusion to his beloved vocation.  He no
longer hesitated to be led to a spot, which promised
such unalloyed gratification to his wearied senses;
and, leaning on the arm of his companion, he entered the narrow  mouth of the cave.  Duncan
seized a pile of the sassafras, which he drew before
the passage, studiously concealing every appearance
of an aperture.  Within this fragile barrier he arranged the blankets abandoned by the foresters,
darkening the inner extremity of the cavern,
while its outer received a chastened light from the
narrow ravine, through which one arm of the river
rushed, to form the junction with its sister branch,
a few rods below.
" I like not that principle of the natives, which
teaches them to submit without a struggle, in emergencies that appear desperate," he said, while busied
in this employment; "our own maxim, which
says,'while life remains there is hope,' is more
consoling, and better suited to a soldier's temperament. To you, Cora, I will urge no words of idle
encouragement; your own fortitude and undisturbed reason, will teach you all that may become
your sex; but cannot we dry the tears of that
trembling weeper in your bosom?"
" I am calmer, Duncan," said Alice, raising herself from the arms of her sister, and forcing an appearance of composure through her tears; " muich
calmer, now. Surely, in this hidden spot, we are




11-8             THE LAST OF
safe, we are secret, free from injury; we will hope
every thing from those generous men, who have
risked so much already in our behalf."
"Now does our gentle Alice speak like a daughter of Munro!" said Heyward, pausing to press
her hand as he passed towards the outer entrance
f the cavern.  " With two such examples of
ourage before him, a man would be ashamed to
prove other than a hero." He then seated himself in the centre of the cavern, grasping his remaining pistol with a hand firmly clenched, while
his contracted and frowning eye announced the
sullen desperation of his purpose. "The Hurons,
if they come, may not gain our position so easily
as they think," he lowly muttered; and dropping
his head back against the rock, he seemed to await
the result in patience, though his gaze was unceasingly bent on the open avenue to their place
of retreat.
With the last sound of his voice, a deep, a long,
and almost breathless silence succeeded. The fresh
air of the morning had penetrated the recess, and
its influence was gradually felt on the spirits of its
Inmates.   As minute after minute passed by,
leaving them in undisturbed security, the insinuating feeling of hope was gradually gaining possession of every bosom, though each'one felt reluctant to give utterance to expectations that the
next moment might so fearfully destroy.
David alone formed an exception to these varying emotions. A gleam of light from the opening
crossed his wan countenance, and fell upon the
pages of the little volume, whose leaves he was
again occupied in turning, as if searching for some
song more fitted to their condition than any that
had yet met his eye.  He was most probably
acting all this time under a confused recollection




THE MOHICANS.               119
of the promised consolation of Duncan. At length
it would seem, his patient industry found its re
ward; for, without explanation or apology, he.
pronounced aloud the characteristic appellation of
" Isle of Wight," drew a long, sweet sound from
his pitch-pipe, and then ran through the preliminary modulations of the air, whose name he had
just mentioned, with the sweeter tones of his own
musical voice.
May not this prove dangerous?" asked Cora,
glancing her dark eyes at Major Heyward.
" Poor fellow! his voice is too feeble to be
heard amid the din of the falls," was the answer;
"' besides, the cavern will prove his fiiend. Let
him, then, indulge his passion, since it may be
done without hazard."
Isle of Wight!" repeated David, looking
about him  with all that imposing dignity with
which he had long been wont to silence the whispering echoes of his school; "'tis a brave tune,
and set to solemn words; let it therefore be sung
with meet respect!"
After allowing a moment of awful stillness to
enforce his discipline, the voice of the singer was
heard, in low, murmuring syllables, gradually
stealing on the ear, until it filled the narrow vault,
with sounds, rendered trebly thrilling by the feeble
and tremulous utterance produced by his debility.
The melody which no weakness could destroy,
gradually wrought its sweet influence on the
senses of those who heard it.  It even prevailed
over the miserable"travesty of the song of David,
which, after so much diligence, the singer had selected from a volume of similar effusions, and
caused the sense to be forgotten, in the insinuating
harmony of the sounds. Alice unconsciously dried
her tears, and bent her melting eyes on the pallid




120              THE LAST OF
features of Gamut, with an expression of chastened
delight, that she neither affected, nor wished to
conceal.  Cora bestowed an approving snile on
the pious efforts of the namesake of the Jewish
prince, and Heyward soon turned his steady, stern,
look from the outlet of the cavern, to fasten it,
with a milder character, on the face of David, or
to meet the wandering beams which at moments
strayed from the humid eyes of Alice. The open
sympathy of the listeners soon stirred the spirit
of the votary of music, whose voice regained its
richness and volume, without losing that touching
softness which proved its secret charm. Exerting
his renovated powers to their utmost, he was yet
filling the arches of the cave with long and full
tones, when a yell burst into the air without, that
instantly stilled his pious strains, choking his
voice suddenly, as though his heart had literally
bounded into the passage of his throat.
"We are lost!" exclaimed Alice, throwing
herself into the expanded arms of Cora.
" Not yet, not yet," returned the agitated but
undaunted Heyward; "the sound came from the
centre of the island, and it has been produced by
the sight of their dead companions. We are not
yet discovered, and there is still hope."
Faint and almost despairing as was the prospect
of escape, the words of Duncan were not thrown
away, for it awakened the powers of the sisters in
such a manner, that they awaited the result in silence.  A  second yell soon followed the first,
when a rush of voices was heard pouring down
the island, from  its upper to its lower extremity,
until they reached the naked rock above the
caverns, where, after a shout of savage triumph,
the air continued full ol horrible cries and screams,




THE MOHICANS.                121
such as man alone can utter, and he only when in
a state of the fiercest barbarity
The sounds quickly spread around them in every
direction.  Some called to their fellows from the
water's edge, and were answered from the heights
above. Cries were heard in the startling vicinity
of the chasm between the two caves, which min
gled with hoarser yells that arose out of the abyss
of the deep ravine. In short, so rapidly had the
savage sounds diffused themselves over the barren
rock, that it was not difficult for the anxious listeners to imagine that they could be heard beneath,
as, in truth, they were above, and on every side
of them.
In the midst of this tumult, a triumphant yell
was raised within a few feet of the hidden entrance
to the cave.  Heyward.abandoned every hope,
with the belief it was the signal that they were
discovered. Again the impression passed away,
as he heard the voices collect near the spot where
the white man had so reluctantly abandoned his
rifle.  Amid the jargon of the Indian dialects that
he now plainly heard, it was easy to distinguish
not only words, but sentences in the patois of the
Canadas.  A burst of voices had shouted, simultaneously, "' la Longue Carabine!" causing the op.
posite woods to re-echo with a name which Heyward well remembered to have heard, had been
given by his enemies to a celebrated hunte:r an&
scout of the English camp, and who he now le'irnt,
for the first time, had been his late companion.
"La Longue Carabine! la Longue Carabine!
passed from  mouth to mouth, until the whole
band appeared to be collected around a trophy,
which would seem to announce the death of its for-.midable owner. After a vociferous consultation:
which was, at times, deafened by bursts of savage
L




122              THE LAST OF
ioy, they again separated, filling the air with the
name of a foe, whose body, Heyward could collect from  their expressions, they hoped to find
concealed in some crevice of the island.
"Now," he whispered to the trembling sisters,
"now is the moment of uncertainty! if our place
of- retreat escape this scrutiny, we are still safe!
In every event, we are assured, by what has fallen
from our enemies, that our friends have escaped,
and in two short hours we may look for succour
from Webb."
There were now a few minutes of fearful stillness, during which Heyward well knew that the
savages conducted their search with greater vigilance and method.  More than once he could distinguish their footsteps, as they brushed the sassafras, causing the faded leaves to rustle, and the
branches to snap. At length, the pile yielded a
little, a corner of a blanket fell, and a faint ray of
light gleamed into the inner part of the cave.
Cora folded Agnes to her bosom  in agony, and
Duncan sprang like lightning to his feet. A shoul
was at that moment heard, as if issuing from the
centre of the rock, announcing that the neighbouring cavern had at length  been entered.  In a
minute, the number and loudness of the voices indicated that the whole party were collected in and
around that secret place.
As the inner passages to the two caves were so
close to each other, Duncan, believing that escape was no longer possible, passed David and the
sisters, to place himself between the latter and
the first onset of the terrible meeting.  Grown
desperate by his situation, he drew nigh the slight
barrier which separated him only by a few feet
from his relentless pursuers, and placing his lace
to the casual opening, he even looked out, with a




THE MOHICANS.              123
sot of appalling indifference, on their movements.
Within reach of his arm was the brawny shoulder of a gigantic Indian, whose deep and atuthoritative voice appeared to give directions to the
proceedings of his fellows.  Beyond him  again,
Duncan could look into the deep vault opposite,
which was filled with savages, upturning and
rifling the humble furniture of the scout. The
wound of David had died the leaves of sassafras
with a colour, that the natives well knew was an
ticipating the season.  Over this sign of their suc
cess, they set up a howl, like an opening from so
many hounds, who had recovered their lost trail.
After this yell of victory, they tore up the fragrant
bed of the cavern, and bore the branches into the
chasm, scattering the boughs, as if they suspected
them of concealing the person of the man they had
so long hated and feared.  One fierce and wild
looking warrior, approached the chief, bearing a
load of the brush, and pointing, exultingly, to the
deep red stains with which it was sprinkled, uttered his joy in Indian yells, whose meaning
Heyward was only enabled to comprehend, by the
frequent repetition of the name of "la Longue
Carabine!"  When his triumph had ceased, he
cast the brush on the slight heap that Duncan had
made before the entrance of the. second cavern,
and closed the view. His example was followed
by others; who, as they drew the branches from
the cave of the scout, threw them into one pile,
adding unconsciously to the security of those they
sought.  The very slightness of the defence was
its chief merit, for no one thought of'disturbing a
mass of brush, which all of them believed, in that
moment of hurry and confusion, had been acci
dentally raised by the hands of their own party.
As the blankets yielded before the outward




124              THE LAST OP
pressure, and the branches settled into the fissure
of the rock by its own weight, forming a compact
body, Duncan once more breathed freely.  With
a light step, and lighter heart, he returned to the
centre of the cave, and took the place he had lefit
where he could command a view of the opening
next the river. While he was in the act of making
this movement, the Indians, as if changing their
purpose by a common impulse, broke away from
the chasm in a body, and were heard rushing up
the islandagain, towards the point, whence they
had originally descended. Here another wailing
cry betrayed that they were again collected around
the bodies of their dead comrades.
Duncan now ventured to look at his companions,
for, during the most critical moments of their danger, he had been apprehensive that the anxiety of
his countenance might communicate some additional alarm, to those who were so little able to
sustain it.
" They are gone, Cora!" he whispered; "Alice,
they are returned whence they came, and we are
saved! To heaven, that has alone delivered us
from the grasp of so merciless an enemy, be all the
praise!"
"rhen to heaven will I return my thanks!"
exclaimed the younger sister, rising from the en.
circling arms of Cora, and casting herself, with
enthusiastic gratitude, on the naked lock to her
knees; "to that heaven who has spared the tears
of a gray-headed father; has saved the lives of
those I so much love-"
Both Heyward, and the more tempered Cora,
witnessed the act of involuntary emotion wvitl
powerful sympathy, the former secretly believing
that piety had never worn a form so lovely, as it'ad now assumed in the vouthfiul persnn of A1;le




THE MORICANS.              1 5
Her eyes weie radiant with the glow of her graterul feelings; the flush of her beauty was again
seated on her cheeks, and her whole soul seemed
ready and anxious to pour out its thanksgivings,
through the medium of her eloquent features. But
when her lips moved, the words they should have
uttered appeared frozen by some new and sudden
chill.  Her bloom  gave place to the paleness of
death; her soft and melting eyes grew hard, and
seemed contracting with horror; while those hands,
which she had raised, clasped in each other, towards heaven, dropped in horizontal lines before
her, the fingers pointing forward in convulsed
motion.  Heyward turned the instant she gave a
direction to his suspicions, and, peering just above
the ledge which formed the threshold of the open
outlet of the cavern, he beheld the malignant,
fierce, and savage features of le Renard Subtil.
In that moment of horrid surprise, the selfpossession of Heyward did not desert him. He
observed by the vacant expression of the Indian's
countenance, that his eye, accustomed to the open
air, had not yet been able to penetrate the dusky
light which pervaded the depth of the cavern.
He had even thought of retreating beyond a curvature in the natural wall, which might still conceal him and his companions, when, by the sudden
gleam of intelligence that shot across the features
of the savage, he saw it was too late, and that they.
were betrayed.
The look of exultation and brutal triumph which
announced this terrible truth, was irresistibly irritating. Forgetful of every thing but the impulses
of his hot blood, Duncan levelled his pistol and
fired. The report of the weapon made the cavern
bellow like an eruption from a volcano, and when
the smoke, it vomited, had driven away before
L 2




126              THE LAST OF
the current of air which issued from  the ravine,
the place so lately occupied by the features of his
treacherous guide was vacant.  Rushing to the
outlet, Heyward caught a glimpse of his dark
figure, stealing around a low and narrow ledge,
which soon hid him entirely from his sight.
Among the savages, a frightful stillness succeeded the explosion, which had just been heard
bursting from the bowels of the rock. But when
le Renard raised his voice in a long and intelligible
whoop, it was answered by a spontaneous yell
from the mouth of every Indian within hearing
of the sound. The clamorous noises again rushed
down the island, and before Duncan had time to
recover from the shock, his feeble barrier of brush
was scattered to the winds, the cavern was entered
at both its extremities, and he and his companions
were dragged from their shelter, and borne into
the day, where they stood surrounded by the
whole band of the triumphant Hurons.
CHAPTER X.
I fear we shall outsleep the coming morn,
As much as we this night have overwatched!"
Jlidsummer's Night Dream.
THE instant the first shock of this sudden misfortune had abated, Duncan began to make his
observations on the appearance and proceedings
of their captors.  Contrary to the usages of the
natives in the wantonness of their success, they
had respected, not only the persons of the trembling sisters, but his own. The rich ornaments
of his military attire? had indeed been repeatedly




THE MOHEICANS.             127
handled by different individuals of the tribe, with
eves expressing a savage longing to possess the
baubles, but before the customary violence could
be resorted to, a mandate, in the authoritative voice
of the large warrior already mentioned, stayed the
uplifted hand, and convinced Heyward that they
were to be reserved for some object of particular
moment.
While, however, these manifestations of weakness were exhibited by the young and vain of the
party, the more experienced warriors continued
their search throughout both caverns, with an
activity that denoted they were far from  being
satisfied with those fruits of their conquest, which
had already been brought to light.  Unable to
discover any new victim, these diligent workers of
vengeance 3oon approached their male prisoners,
pronouncing the name of "la Longue Carabine,"
with a fierceness that could not easily be mistaken.
Duncan affected not to comprehend the meaning
of their repeated and violent interrogatories, while
his companion was spared the effort of a similar
deception, by his ignorance of French. Wearied,
at length, by their importunities, and apprehensive
of irritating his captors by too stubborn a silence,
the former looked about him in quest of Magua,
who might interpret his answers to those questions
which were, at each moment, becoming more
earnest and threatening.
The conduct of this savage had formed a solitary
exception to that of all his fellows. While the
others were busily occupied in seeking to gratify
their childish passion for finery, by plundering
even the miserable effects of the scout, or had
been searching, with such blood-thirsty vengeance
in their looks, for their absent owner, le Renard had
stood at a little distance from the prisoners, with a




128              T TH  LAST OF
demeanor so quiet and satisfied, as to betray, that
he, at least, had already effected the grand purpose
of his treachery. When the eyes of Heyward first
met those of his recent guide, he turned them
away, in horror, at the sinister though calm  look
he encountered. Conquering his disgust, however,
he was able, with an averted face, to address his
successful enemy:
"Le Renard Subtil is too much of a warrior,"
said the reluctant Heyward, " to refuse telling an
unarmed man what his conquerors say."
" They ask for the hunter who knows the paths
through the woods," returned Magua, in his broken
English, laying his hand, at the same time, with a
ferocious smile, on the bundle of leaves, with
which a wound on his own shoulder was bandaged;
" la Longue Carabine! his rifle is good, and his
eye never shut; but, like the short gun of the
white chief, it is nothing against the life of le
Subtil!"
" Le Renard is too brave to remember the hurts
he has received in war, or the hands that gave
them!"
" Was it war, when the tired Indian rested at the
sugar iree, to taste his corn! who filled the bushes
with creeping enemies! who drew  the knife!
whose tongue was peace, while his heart was coloured with blood! Did Magua say that the hatchet
was out of the ground, and that his hand had dug
it up?"
As Duncan dare not retort upon his accuser, by
reminding him of his own premeditated treachery,
and disdained to deprecate his resentment by any
words of apology, he remained silent.  Magua
seemed also content to rest the controversy, as
well as all further communication, there, for he
resumed the leaning attitude against the rock, from




THE MOHICANS.             1 9
which, in his momentary energy, he had arisen
But the cry of "la Longue Carabine," was renewed, the instant the impatient savages perceived
that the short dialogue was ended.
You hear," said Magua, with stubborn indifference; "the red Hurons call for the life of the'long rifle,' or they will have the blood of them
that keep him hid!"
" He is gone-escaped; he is far beyond then
reach."
Renard smiled with cold contempt, as he an
swered:
" When the white man dies, he thinks he is at
peace; but the red men know how to torture even
the ghosts of their enemies. Where is his body?
Let the Hurons see his scalp!"
" He is not dead, but escaped."
Magua shook his head incredulously, and added"Is he a bird, to spread his wings; or is he a
fish, to swim without looking at the sun! The
white chief reads in his books, and believes the
Hurons are fools!"
" Though no fish, the' long rifle' can swim. He
floated down the stream when the powder was all
burnt, and when the eyes of the Hurons were behind a cloud."
"And why did the white chief stay?" demanded
the still incredulous Indian.   Is he a stone, that
goes to the bottom, or does the scalp burn his
head?"
c"That I am not a stone, your dead comrade,
who fell into the falls, might answer, were the life
still in him," said the provoked young man, using,
in his anger, that boastful language which was
most l'kely to excite the admiration of an Indian.




1i? THE MOHICANS.
"T Th. white man thinks none but cowards desert
their women."
M1 rua muttered a few words, inaudibly, be.
twee^ his teeth, before he continued, aloud" C.(n the Delawares swim, too, as well as crawl
in the bushes? Where is'le Gros Serpent?"'
Duncan, who perceived by the use of these Canadian appellations, that his late companions were
much better known to his enemies than to himself,
answered, reluctantly: "He also is gone down
with the water."
"'Le Cerf Agile' is not here?"
"I know not whom you call the' nimble deer,' 
said Duncan, gladly profiting by any excuse to create delay.
"Uncas," returned Magua, pronouncing the Delaware name with even greater difficulty than he
spoke his English words.  "'Bounding elk' is
what the white man says when he calls to the
young Mohican."'
" Here is some confusion in names between us,
el Renard," said Duncan, -hoping to provoke a
discussion.  "Daim  is the French for deer, and
cerf for stag; elan is the true term, when one
would speak of an elk."
"Yes," muttered the Indian, in his native
tongue; "the pale faces are prattling women!
they have two words for each thing, while a red
skin will make the sound of his voice speak for
nim." Then changing his language, he continued,
adhering to the imperfect nomenclature of his
provincial instructers, "The deer is swift, but
weak; the elk is swift, but strong; and the son
of' le serpent' is' le cerf agile.' Has he leaped
the river to the woods?"
" If you mean the younger Delaware, he too ie
gone down with the water."




THE MOHICANS.              131
As there was nothing improbable to an Indian,
in the manner of the escape, Magua admitted the
truth of wrlat he had heard, with a readiness that
affordedd additional evidence how little he would
prize such worthless captives.  With his companions, however, the feeling was manifestly different.
The Hurons had awaited the result of this short
dialogue with characteristic patience, and with a
silence, that increased, until there was a general
stillness in the band.  When Heyward ceased to
speak, they turned their eyes, as one man, on
Magua, demanding, in this expressive manner, an
explanation of what had been said. Their interpreter pointed to the  river, and  made them
acquainted with the result, as much by the action
as by the few words he uttered.  When the fact
was generally understood, the savages raised a
frightful yell, which declared the extent of their
disappointment. Some ran furiously to the water's
edge, beating the air with frantic gestures, while
others spat upon the element, to resent the supposed treason it had committed against their acknowledged rights as conquerors.  A  few, and
they not the least powerful and terrific of the
band, threw lowering, sullen looks, in which the
fiercest passion was only tempered by habitual
self-command, at those captives who still remained in their power; while one or two even gave
vent to their mailgnant feelings by the most
menacing gestures, against which neither the sex,
nor the beauty of the sisters, was any protection.
The young soldier made a desperate, but fruitless,
effort to spring to the side of Alice, when he saw
the dark hand of a savage twisted in the rich
tresses, which were flowing in volumes over he)
shoulders, while a knife was passed around the




132              THE LAST OF
head from  which they fell, as if to denote the
horrid manner in which it was about to be robbed
of its beautiful ornament.  But his hands were
bound, and at the first movement he made, he felt
the grasp of the powerful Indian, who directed
the band, pressing his shoulder like a vice.  Immediately conscious how unavailing any struggle
against such an overwhelming force must prove,
he submitted to his fate, encouraging his gentle
companions, by a few low and tender assurances,
that the natives seldom failed to threaten more
than they performed.
But, while Duncan resorted to these words of
consolation, to lull the apprehensions of the sisters,
he was not so weak as to deceive himself.  He
well knew that the authority of an Indian chief
was so little conventional, that it was oftener maintained by his physical superiority, than by any
moral supremacy he might possess.  The danger
was, therefore, magnified exactly in proportion to
the number of the savage spirits by which they
were surrounded.  The most positive mandate
from him, who seemed the acknowledged leader,
was liable to be violated, at each moment, by any
rash hand that might choose to sacrifice a victim
to the manes of some dead friend or relative.
While, therefore, he sustained an outward appealance of calmness and fortitude, his heart leaped
into his throat, whenever any of their fierce ca -
tors drew nigher than common to the helpless sisters, or fastened one of their sullen wandering
looks on those fragile forms, which were so little
able to resist the slightest assault.
His apprehensions were however greatly relieved, when he saw that the leader had summoned
his warriors to himself in council.  Their deliberations were short, and. it. would seem, by the




THE MOHICANS.               133
silence of most of the party, the decision unanimous.  By the frequency with which the few
speakers pointed in the direction of the encampment of Webb, it was apparent they dreaded the
approach of danger from that quarter.  This consideration probably hastened their determination,
and quickened the subsequent movements.
During this short conference, Heyward finding
a respite from his greatest fears, had leisure to admire the cautious manner in which the Hurons
had made their approaches, even after hostilities
had ceased.
It has already been stoaed, that the upper half
of the island was a naked rock, and destitute of
any other defences than a few scattering logs of
drift wood. They had selected this point to make
their descent, having borne the canoe through the
wood, around the cataract, for that purpose. Placing their arms in the little vessel, a dozen men,
clinging to its sides, had trustnd themselves to the
direction of the canoe, which was controlled by
two of the most skilful warrior, in attitudes, that
enabled them  to command a view of the dangerous passage. Favoured by this arrangement, they
touched the head of the island, at that point which
had proved so fatal to their first adventurers, but
with the advantages of superior numbers, and the
possession of fire arms.  That such had been the
manner of their descent, was rendered quite appa.
rent to Duncan, for they now bore the light bark
from the upper end of the rock, and placed it in
the water, near the mouth of the outer cavern. As
soon as this change was made, the leader made
signs to the prisoners to descend and enter.
As resistance was impossible, and remonstrance
useless, Heyward set the example of subml.sion,
by leading the way into the canoe, where he was
M




134              TIE LAST OF
soon seated with the sisters, and the still wonder.
ing David.  Notwithstanding the Hurons were
necessarily ignorant of the little channels among
the eddies and rapids of the stream, they knew
the common signs of such a navigation too well,
to commit any material blunder. When the pilot
chosen for the task of guiding the canoe had taken
his station, the whole band plunged again into
the river, the vessel glided down the current, and
in a few moments the captives found themselves
on the south bank of the stream, nearly opposite to
the point where they had struck it, the preceding
evening.
Here was held another short but earnest consultation, during which, the horses, to whose
panic their owners ascribed their heaviest mis
fortune, were led from the cover of the woods, and
brought to the sheltered spot.  The band now divided.  The great chief, so often  mentioned,
mounting the charger of Heyward, led the way
directly across the river, followed by most of his
people, and disappeared in the woods, leaving the
prisoners in charge of six savages, at whose head
was le Renard Subtil. Duncan witnessed all tJeir
movements with renewed uneasiness.
He had been fond of believing, from the un
common forbearance of the savages, that he was
reserved as a prisoner, to be delivered to Montcalm. As the thoughts of those who are in misery
seldom slumber, and the invention is never more
lively, than when it is stimulated by hope, however feeble and remote, he had even imagined that
the parental feelings of Munro were to be made
instrumental in seducing him from his duty to the
king. For though the French commander bore a
high character for courage and enterprise, he was
also thought to be expert in those political prac




THE MOHICANS.               135
tiees, which do not always respect the nicer obligations of morality, and which so generally disgraced the European diplomacy of that period.
All those busy and ingenious speculations were
now innihilated by the conduct of his captors.
That portion of the band who had followed the
huge warrior, took the route towards the foot of
Horican, and no other expectation was left for
himself and companions, than that they were to
be retained as hopeless captives by their savage
conquerors.  Anxious to know the worst, and
willing, in such an emergency, to try the potency
of his wealth, he overcame his reluctance to speak
to Magua.  Addressing hlimiself to his former
guide, who had now assumed the authority and
manner of one who was to direct the future movements of the party, he said, in tones as friendly
and confiding as he could assume" I would speak to Magua, what is fit only for
so great a chief to hear."
The Indian turned his eyes on the young soldier, scornfully, as he answered"Speak, then; trees have no ears!"
" But the red Hurons are not deaf; and counsel
that is fit for the great men of a nation, would
make the young warriors drunk.  If Magua will'.ot listen, the officer of the king knows how to
be silent."
The savage spoke carelessly to his comrades,
who were busied, after their awkward manner, in
preparing the horses for the reception of the sisters,
and moved a little to one side, whither, by a cau.
tious gesture, he induced Heyward to follow.
"Now  speak," he said; "if the words are
such as Magua should hear."' Le Renard Subtil has proved himself worthy
of the honourable name given to him by his Canadi




136             THE LAST OF
fathers," commenced Heyward;   I see his wisdom, and all that he has done for us, and shall remember it, when the hour to reward him arrives.
Yes, yes! Renard has proved that he is not only
a great chief in council, but one who knows how
to deceive his enemies!"
" What has Renard done?" coldly demanced
the Indian.'C What! has he not seen that the woods were
filled with outlying parties of the enemies, and
that the serpent could not steal through them with
out being seen? Then, did he not lose his path,
to blind the eyes of the Hurons? Did he not pretend to go back to his tribe, who had treated him
ill, and driven him from their wigwams, like a
dog? And, when we saw what he wished to do,
did we not aid him, by making a false face, that
the Hurons might think the white man believed
that his friend was his enemy? Is not all this true?
And when le Subtil had shut the eyes and stopped
the ears of his nation by his wisdom, did they not
forget that they had once done him wrong, and
forced him to flee to the Mohawks? And did they
not leave him on the south side of the river, with
their prisoners, while they have gone foolishly on
the north? Does not Renard mean to turn like a
fox on his footsteps, and carry to the rich and gray
headed Scotchman,his daughters? Yes,yes.Magua,
I see it all, and I have already been thinking how
so much wisdom  and honesty should be repaid.
First, the chief of William Henry will give as a
great chief should, for such a service. The meda?
of Magua will no longer be of tin, but ot beaten
gold; his horn will run over with powder; dollars
will be as plenty in his pouch, as pebbles on the
shore of Horican; and the deer will lick hi. hIand,
for they will know it to be vain to fly from before




THE MOHICANS.             137
the rifle he will carry! As for myself, I know
not how to exceed the gratitude of the Scotchman,
but I —yes, I will-"
" What will the young chief, who comes from
towards the sun, give?" demanded the Huron,
observing that Heyward hesitated in his desire to
end the enumeration of benefits with that which
might form the climax of an Indian's wishes.
"He will make the fire-water from the islands
in the salt lake, flow before the wigwam of Magua,
swifter than yon noisy Hudson, until the heart of
the Indian shall be lighter than the feathers of the
humming-bird, and his breath sweeter than the
wild honeysuckle."
Le Renard had listened with the deepest silence,
as Heyward slowly proceeded in this subtle speech.
When the young man mentioned the artifice he
supposed the Indian to have practised on his own
nation, the countenance of the listener was veiled
in an expression of cautious gravity.  At the allusion to the injury which Duncan affected to believe had driven the Huron from his native tribe,
a gleam of such ungovernable ferocity flashed from
the other's eyes, as induced the adventurous
speaker to believe he had struck the proper chord.
And by the time he reached the part where he so
artfully blended the thirst of vengeance with the
desire of gain, he had, at least, obtained a command of the deepest attention of the savage. The
question put by le Renard had been calm, and
with all the dignity of an Indian; but it was quite
apparent, by the thoughtful expression of the
listener's countenance, that the answer was most
cunningly devised.  The Huron mused a few
moments, and then laying his hand on the rude
bandages of his wounded shoulder, he said, with
some energyM 2




138             THE LAST OF
" Do friends make such marks?"
"Would' la Longue Carabine' cut one so light
on an enemy?"
" Do the Delawares crawl upon those they love
like snakes, twisting themselves to strike?"
" Would' le Gros Serpent' have been heard oy
tl,^ ears of one he wished to be deaf?"' Does the white chief burn his powder in the
faces of his brothers?"
" Does he ever miss his aim, when seriously
tent to kill?" returned Duncan, smiling with well
acted disdain.
Another long and deliberative pause succeeded
these sententious questions and ready replies.
Duncan saw that the Indian hesitated.  In order
to complete his victory, he was in the act of
recommencing the enumeration of the rewards,
when Magua made an expressive gesture, and
said"Enough; le Renard is a wise chief, and what
he does will be seen. Go, and keep the mouth
shut.  When Magua speaks, it will be the time
to answer."
Heyward, perceiving that the eyes of his companion were warily fastened on the rest of the
band, fell back immediately, in order to avoid the
appearance of any suspicious confederacy with
their leader.  Magua approached the horses, and
affected to be well pleased with the diligence and
ingenuity of his comrades.  He then signed to
Heyward to assist the sisters into their saddles, for
he seldom  deigned to use the English tongue,
unless urged by some motive of more than usual
moment.
There was no longer any plausible pretext for
further delay, and Duncan was obliged, however
reluctantly, to comply.  As he performed this




THE MOHICANS.               139
office, he whispered his reviving hopes in the ears
of the trembling maidens, who, thlrough dread of encountering the savage countenances of their captors,
seldom  raised their eyes fiom  the ground.  The
mare of David had been taken with the followers of
the large chief; in consequence, its owner, as well
as Duncan, were compelled to journey on foot. The
latter did not, however, so much regret this circumstance, as it might enable him  to retard the
speed of the party-for he still turned his longing looks in the direction of fort Edward, in the
vain expectation of catching some sound from that
quarter of the forest, which might denote the approach of speedy succour.
When all were prepared, Magua made the signal to proceed, advancing in front, to lead the
party in his own person.  Next followed David,
who was gradually coming to a true sense of his
condition, as the effects of the wound became less
and less apparent.  The sisters rode in his rear,
with Heyward at their side, while the Indians
flanked the party, and brought up the close of the
march, with a caution that seemed never to tire.
In this manner they proceeded in uninterrupted
silence, except when Heyward addressed some
solitary word of comfort to the females, or David
gave vent to the meanings of his spirit, in piteous
exclamation, which he intended should express
the humility of his resignation.  Their direction
lay towards the south, and in a course nearly opposite to the road to William  henry.  Notwithstanding this apparent adherence in- Magua to the
original determination of his conquerors, Heyward
could not believe his tempting bait was so soon forgotten; and he knew the windings of an Indian
path too well, to suppose that its apparent course
led directly to its object, when artifice was at all




140              TE -LAST OF
necessary. Mile after mile was, however, passed
through the boundless woods in this painful manner, without any prospect of a termination to their
journey.  Heyward watched the sun, as he darted
his meridian rays through the branches of the
trees, and pined for the moment when the policy
of Magua should change their route to one more
favourable to his hopes.  Sometimes he fancied
that the wary savage, despairing of passing the
beleaguering army of Montcalm, in safety, was
holding his way towards a well known border settlement, where a distinguished officer of the crown,
and a favoured friend of the Six Nations, held his
large possessions, as well as his usual residence.
To be delivered into the hands of Sir William
Johnson, was far preferable to being led into the
wilds of Canada; but in order to effect even the
former, it would be necessary to traverse the forest for many weary leagues, each step of which
was carrying him further from the scene of the
war, and, consequently, from the post, not only of
honour, but of duty.
Cora alone remembered the parting injunctions
of the scout, and whenever an opportunity offered,
she stretched forth her arm to bend aside the twigs
that met her hands.  But the vigilance of the In.
dians rendered this act of precaution both difficult
and dangerous.  She was often defeated in her
purpose, by encountering the dark glances of their
watchful eyes, when it became necessary to feign
an alarm she did not feel, and occupy the limb, by
some gesture of feminine apprehension.  Once,
and once only, was she completely successful;
when she broke down the bough of a large sumach,
and, by a sudden thought, let her glove fall at the
same instant.  This sign intended for those that
might follow, was observed by one of her conduc




THE MOHICANS.               141
tors, who restored the glove, broke the remaining
branches of the bush in such a manner, that it appeared to proceed from  the struggling of some
beast in its branches, and then laid his hand on his
tomahawk, with a look so significant, that it put
an effectual end to these stolen memorials of their
passage.
As there were horses, to leave the prints of
their footsteps, in both bands of the Indians, this
interruption cut off any probable hopes of assistance being conveyed through the means of their
trail.
Heyward would have called out twenty times
to their leader, and ventured a remonstrance, had
there been any thing encouraging in the gloomy
reserve of the savage.  But Magua, during all
this time, seldom turned to look at his followers,
and never spoke. With the sun for his onlyeguide.
or aided by such blind marks as are only known
to the sagacity of a native, he held his way along
the barrens of pine, through occasional little fer
tile vales, across brooks and rivulets, and over un
dulating hills, with the accuracy of instinct, and
nearly with the directness of a bird.  He never
seemed to hesitate. Whether the path was hardly
distinguishable, whether it disappeared, or whether it lay beaten and plain before him, made no
sensible difference in his speed or certainty.  It
seemed as though fatigue could not affect him.
Whenever the eyes of the wearied travellers rose
from the decayed leaves over which they trode,
his dark form was to be seen glancing among the
stems of the trees in front, his head immoveably
fastened in a forward position, with the light plume
on its crest, fluttering in a current of air, made
solely by the swiftness of his own motion.
But all this diligence and speed was not without




142               THE LAST OF
an object.  After crossing a low vale, through
wh:ch a gushing brook meandered, he suddenly
rose a hill, so steep and difficult of ascent, that
the sisters were compelled to alight, in order to
follow.  When the summit was gained, they found
themselves on a level spot, but thinly covered
with trees, under one of which Magua had thrown
his dark form, as if willing and ready to seek that
rest, which was so much needed by the whole
party.
CHAPTER XI.
-" Cursed be my tribe,
It I forgive him."-Shylock.
THE Indian had selected for this desirable purpose, one of those steep, pyramidal hills, which
bear a strong resemblance to artificial mounds, and
which so frequently occur in the valleys of the
American states.  The one in question was high,
and precipitous; its top flattened, as usual; but
with one of its sides more than ordinarily irregu
lar.  It possessed no other apparent advantages
for a resting place, than in its elevation and form,
which might render defence easy, and surprise
nearly impossible.  As Heyward, however, no
longer expected that rescue, which time and distance now rendered so improbable, he regarded
these little peculiarities with an eye devoid of interest, devoting himself entirely to the comfort
and condolence of his feebler companions.  The
Narragansets were suffered to browse on the
branches of the trees and shrubs, that were thinly
scattered over the summit of the hill, while the




THE MOHICANS.               143
remains of their provisions were spread under the
shade of a beech, that stretched its horizontal limbs'ike a vast canopy above them.
Notwithstanding the swiftness of their flight,
one of the Indians had found an opportunity t3
strike a straggling fawn with an arrow, and had
borne the more preferable fragments of the victim,
patiently on his shoulders, to the stopping place.
Without any aid from the science of cookery, he
was immediately employed, in common with his
fellows, in gorging himself with.this digestable
sustenance.  Magua alone sat apart, without participation in the revolting meal, and apparently
buried in the deepest thought.
This abstinence, so remarkable in an Indian, at
length attracted the notice of Heyward.  The
young man willingly believed that the Huron deliberated on the most eligible manner to elude the
vigilance of his associates, in order to possess himself of the promised bribe. With a view to assist
his plans by any suggestion of his own, and to
strengthen the temptation, he left the beech, and
straggled, as if without an object, to the spot where
le Renard was seated.
" Has not Magua kept the sun in his face long
enough to escape all danger from the Canadians?"
he asked, as though no longer doubtful of the good
intelligence established between them; "and will
not the chief of William Ienry be better pleased
to see his daughters before another night may have
hardened his heart to their loss, and will make
him less liberal in his reward?"
"Do the pale faces love their children less in
the morning than at night?" asked the Indian,
coldly.
"By no means," returned Heyward, anxious to
reca.l his error, if he had made one; " the white




144               THE LAST OF
man may, and does often, forget the burial place
of his fathers; he sometimes ceases to remember
those he should love, and has promised to cherish;
but the affection of a parent for his child is never
permitted to die "
" And is the heart of the white-headed chief
soft, and will he think of the babes that his squaws
have given him? He is hard to his warriors, and
his eyes are made of stone!"
"He is severe to the idle and wicked, but to
the sober and deserving he is a leader, both just
and humane.  I have known many fond and tender parents, but never have I seen a man whose
heart was softer towards his child. You have seen
the grey-head in front of his warriors, Magua,
but I have seen his eyes swimming in water, when
he spoke of those children who are now in your
power!"
Heyward paused, for he knew not how to con
strue the remarkable expression that gleamed across
the swarthy features of the attentive Indian.  At
first it seemed as if the remembrance of the promised reward grew vivid in his mind, as he listened
to the sources of parental feeling which were to
assure its possession; but as Duncan proceeded,
the expression of joy became so fiercely malignant,
that it was impossible not to apprehend it proceeded from some passion even more sinister than
avarice.
"Go," said the Huron, suppressing the alarming
exhibition in an instant, in a death-like calmness
of countenance; " go to the dark-haired daughter,
and say, Magua waits to speak.  The father will
remember what the child promises."
Duncan, who interpreted this speech to express
awish for some additional pledge that the promised gifts should not be withheld, slowly and




THE MOHICANS.              145
reluctantly repaired to the place where the sisters
were now resting fiom their fatigue, to communicate its purport to Cora.
" You understand the nature of an Indian's
wishes," he concluded, as he led her towards the
place where she was expected, "and must be prodi
gal of your offers of powder and blankets. Arden
spirits are, however, the most prized by such as he
nor would it be amiss to add some boon from your
own hand, with that grace you so well know how to
practise. Remember, Cora, that on your presence
of mind and ingenuity, even your life, as well as
that of Alice, may in some measure depend."
" Heyward, and yours!"
c" Mine is of little moment; it is already sold
to my king, and is a prize to be seized by any
enemy who may possess the power.  I have no
father to expect me, and but few friends to lament
a fate, which I have courted with the unsatiable
longings of youth after distinction. But, hush;
we approach the Indian.  Magua, the lady, with
whom you wish to speak, is here."
The Indian rose slowly from his seat, and stood
for near a minute silent and motionless. He ther
signed with his hand for Heyward to retire, say
ing, coldly" When the Huron talks to the women, his tribe
shut their ears."
Duncan still lingering, as if refusing to comply,
Cora said, with a calm smile"You hear, Heyward, and delicacy at least
should urge you to retire. Go to Alice, and comfort her with our reviving prospects."
She waited until he had departed, and then turning to the native, with all the dignity of her sex,
in her voice and manner, she added: "What would
le Renard say to the daughter of Munro;"
N




146              THE LAST OF
a Listen," said the Indian, laying his hand firmly
upon her arm, as if willing to draw her utmost attention to his words; a movement that Cora as
firmly, but quietly repulsed, by extricating the
limb from  his grasp-" Magua was born a chief
and a warrior among the red Hurons of the lakes;
he saw  the suns of twenty summers make the
snows of twenty winters run off in the streams,
before he saw a pale-face; and he was happy!
Then his Canada fathers came into the woods,
and taught him to drink the fire-water, and he became a rascal. The Hurons drove him from the
graves of his fathers, as they would chase the
hunted buffalo.  He ran down the shores of the
lakes, and followed their outlet to the'city of
cannon.' There he hunted and fished, till the
people chased him again through the woods into
the arms of his enemies.  The chief, who was
born a Huron, was at last a warrior among the
Mohawks!"
Something'like this I had heard before," said
Cora, observing that he paused to suppress those
passions which began to burn with too bright a
flame, as he recalled the recollection of his supposed injuries.
" Was it the fault of le Renard that his head was
not made of rock? Who gave him the fire-water?
who made him a villain?'Twas the pale-faces, the
people of your own colour."
" And am I answerable that thoughtless and
unprincipled men exist, whose shades of countenance may resemble mine?" Cora calmly demanded of the excited savage.
" No; MIagua is a man, and not a fool; such as
you never open their lips to the burning stream;
the Great Spirit has given you wisdom!"




THE MOHICANS.              147
What then have I to do, or say, in the matter
ol your misfortunes, not to say of your errors?"
"Listen," repeated the Indian, resuming his
earnest attitude; " when his English and French
fathers dug up the hatchet, le Renard struck the
war-post of the Mohawks, and went out against
his own nation.  The pale-faces have driven the
red-skins from their hunting grounds, and now,
when they fight, a white man leads the way. The
old chief of Horican, your father, was the great
captain of our war party. He said to the Mohawks
do this, and do that, and he was minded. He made
a law, that if an Indian swallowed the fire-water,
and came into the cloth wigwams of his warriors,
it should not be forgotten. Magua foolishly opened his mouth, and the hot liquor led him into the
cabin of Munro.  What did the gray-head? let
his daughter say."
"' He forgot not his words, and did justice,
by punishing the offender," said the undaunted
maiden.
"Justice!" repeated the Indian, casting an
oblique glance of the most ferocious expression at
her unyielding countenance; " is it justice to make
evil, and then punish for it? Magua was not himself: it was the fire-water that spoke and acted
for him! but Munro did not believe it. The Huron chief was tied up before all the pale-faced warriors, and whipped with sticks, like a dog."
Cora remained silent, for she knew not how to
palliate this imprudent severity on the part of het
father, in a manner to suit the comprehension of
an Indian.
"See!" continued Magua, tearing aside the
slight calico that very imperfectly concealed his
painted breast; " here are scars given by knives
and bullets-of these a warrior may boast before




148              THE LASI  OF
his nation; but the gray-head has left marks on
the back of the Huron chief, that he must hide,
like a squaw, under this painted cloth of the
whites."
"I had thought," resumed Cora, "that an In.
dian warrior was patient, and that his spirit felt
not, and knew not, the pain his body suffered?"
"When the Chippewas tied Magua to the stake,
and cut this gash," said the other, laying his finger
proudly on a deep scar on his bosom, " the Huron
laughed in their faces, and told them, women
struck so light! His spirit was then in the clouds!
But when he felt the blows of Munro, his spirit
lay under the birch.  The spirit of a Huron is
never drunk; it remembers for ever!"
"But it may be appeased.  If my father has
done you this injustice, show him how an Indian
can forgive an injury, and take back his daughters.
You have heard from Major Heyward-"
Magua shook his head, forbidding the repetition
of offers he so much despised.
~ "What would you have," continued Cora, after
a most painful pause, while the conviction forced
itself on her mind, that the too sanguine and generous Duncan had been cruelly deceived by the
cunning of the savage.
"What a Huron loves-good for good; bad
for bad!"
" You would then revenge the injury inflicted
ny Munro, on his helpless daughters.  Would it
not be more like a man to go before his face, and
take the satisfaction of a warrior?"
" The arms of the pale-faces are long, and their
knives sharp!" returned the savage, with a malignant laugh; " why should le Renard go among
the muskets of his warriors, when he holds the
spirit of the gray-head in his hand?"




THE MOHICANS.              149
"Name your intention, Magua," said Cora,
struggling with herself to speak with steady calm
ness.  " Is it to lead us prisoners to the woods, or
do you contemplate even some greater evil? Is
there no reward, no means of palliating the injury,
and of softening your heart? At least, release my
gentle sister, and pour out all your malice on me.
Purchase wealth by her safety, and satisfy your
revenge with a single victim.  The loss of both
his daughters might bring the aged man to his
grave, and where would then be the satisfaction
of le Renard?"
"Listen," said the Indian again.  "The light
eyes can go back to the Horican, and tell the
old chief what has been done, if the dark-haired
woman will swear, by the Great Spirit of her fathers, to tell no lie."
"What must I promise?" demanded Cora, still
maintaining a secret ascendancy over the fierce
passions of the native, by the collected and feminine dignity of her presence.
"When Magua left his people, his wife was
given to another chief; he has now made friends
with the Hurons, and will go back to the graves
of his tribe, on the shores of the great lake. Let
the daughter of the English chief follow, and live
in his wigwam for ever."
However revolting a proposal of such a charac
ter might prove to Cora, she retained, notwith
standing her powerful disgust, sufficient self-command to reply, without betraying the least weakness.
"And what pleasure would Magua find in sharing his cabin with a wife he did not love; one
who would be of a nation and colour different
from his own? It would be better to take the gold
N2




150              THE LAST OF
of Munro, and buy the heart of some IIuron maid
with his gifts and generosity."
The Indian made no reply for near a minute,
but bent his fierce looks on the countenance of
Cora, in such wavering glances, that her eyes sunk
with shame, under an impression, that, for the first
time, they had encountered an expression that no
chaste  female might endure.  While she was
shrinking within herself, in dread of having her
ears wounded by some proposal still more shocking than the last, the voice of Magua answered,
in its tones of deepest malignancy" When the blows scorched the back of the Hu
ron, he would know where to find a woman to feel
the smart. The daughter of Munro would draw his
water, hoe his corn, and cook his venison.  The
body of the gray-head would sleep among his cannon, but his heart would lie within reach of the
knife of le Subtil. "
" Monster! well dost thou deserve thy treacherous name!" cried Cora, in an ungovernable
burst of filial indignation.  "None but a Send
could meditate such a vengeance! But thou overratest thy power! You shall find it is, in truth,
the heart of Munro you hold, and that it will defy
your utmost malice!"
The Indian answered this bold defiance by a
ghastly smile, that showed an unaltered purpose,
while he motioned her away, as if to close their
conference, for ever.  Cora, already regretting
her precipitation, was obliged to comply; for
Magua instantly left the spot, and approached his
gluttonous comrades.  Heyward flew to the side
of the agitated maiden, and demanded the result
of a dialogue, that he had watched at a distance
with so much interest.  But unwilling to alarm
the fears of Alice, she evaded a direct reply, be



THE MIOHICANS.               151
tray ing only by her countenance her utter want ol
success, and keeping her anxious looks fastened
on the slightest movements of their captors. To
the reiterated and earnest questions of her sister,
concerning their probable destination, she made no
other answer, than by pointing towards the dark
group, with an agitation she could not control,
and riurmuring, as she folded Alice to her bosom" There, there: read  our fortunes  in their
faces; we shall see! we shall see!"
The action, and the choked utterance of Cora,
spoke more impressively than any words, and
quickly drew the attention of her companions on
that spot, where her own was riveted with an intenseness, that nothing but the importance of the
stake could create.
When MIagua reached  the cluster of lolling
savages, who, gorged with their disgusting meal,
lay stretched on the earth, in a sort of brutal indulgence, he commenced speaking with the utmost dignity of an Indian chief.  The first syllables he uttered, had the effect to cause his listeners
to raise themselves in attitudes of respectful attention.  As the Huron used his native language, the
prisoners, notwithstanding the caution of the natives had kept them  within the swing of their
tomahawks, could only conjecture the substance
of his harangue, from the nature of those significant gestures with which an Indian always illustrates his eloquence.
At first, the language, as well as the action of
Magua, appeared calm  and deliberative.  When
he had succeeded in sufficiently awakening the attention of his comrades, Heyward fancied, by his
pointing so frequently toward the direction of the
great lakes, that he spoke of the land of their fa.
thers, and of their distant tribe. Frequent iildi




152             THE LAST OF
cations of applause escaped the listeners, who, as
they uttered the expressive "hugh!" looked at
each other in open commendation of the speaker.
Le Renard was too skilful to neglect his advantage. He now spoke of the long and painful route
by which they had left those spacious hunting
grounds and happy villages, to come and battle
against the enemies of their Canadian fathers. He
enumerated the warriors of the party; their several merits; their frequent services to the nation;
their wounds, and the number of the scalps they
had taken. Whenever he alluded to any present,
(and the subtle Indian neglected none,) the dark
countenance of the flattered individual gleamed
with exultation, nor did he even hesitate to assert
the truth of the words, by gestures of applause
and confirmation. Then the voice of the speaker
fell, and lost the loud, animated tones of triumph
with which he had enumerated their deeds of success and victory. He described the cataract of
Glenn's; the impregnable position of its rocky
island, with its caverns, and its numerous encircling rapids and whirlpools; he named the name
of'la Longue Carabine,' and paused until the
forest beneath them had sent up the last echo of a
loud and long yell, with which the hated appellation was received. He pointed toward the youthful military captive, and described the death of a
favourite warrior, who had been precipitated into
the deep ravine by his hand. He not only mentioned the fate of him who, hanging between heaven and earth, had presented such a spectacle of
horror to the whole band, but he acted anew the
terrors of his situation, his resolution and his
death, on the branches of a sapling; and, finally,
he rapidly recounted the manner in which each
of their friends had fallen, never failing to touch




THE MOHICANS.              153
upon their courage, and their most acknowledged
virtues.  When this recital of events was ended,
his voice once more changed, and became plaintive,
and even musical, in its low, soft, guttural sounds.
He now spoke of the wives and children of the
slain; their destitution; their misery, both physical and moral; their distance; and, at last, of their
unavenged wrongs. Then suddenly lifting his
voice to a pitch of terrific energy, he concluded,
by demanding" Are the Hurons dogs, to bear this?  Who
shall say to the wife of Menowgua, that the fishes
have his scalp, and that his nation have not taken
revenge! Who will dare meet the mother of Wassawattimie, that scornful woman, with his hands
clean! What shall be said to the old men, when
they ask us for scalps, and we have not a hair from
a white head to give them! The women will
point their fingers at us. There is a dark spot on
the names of the Hurons, and it must be hid in
blood! "
His voice was no longer audible in the burst of
rage, which now broke into the air, as if the wood,
instead of containing so small a band, was filled
with their nation.  During the foregoing address,
the progress of the speaker was too plainly read
by those most interested in his success, through
the medium of the countenances of the men he addressed. They had answered his melancholy and
mourning, by sympathy and sorrow; his assertions, by gestures of confirmation; and his boastings, with the exultation of savages. When he
spoke of courage, their looks were firm and responsive; when he alluded to their injuries, their
eyes kindled with fury; when he mentioned the
taunts of their women, they dropped their heads
in shame; but when he pointed out their means




154              THE LAST OF
of vengeance, he struck a chord whicn never failed to thrill in the breast of an Indian.  With the
first intimation that it was within their reach, the
whole band sprang upon their feet, as one man,
and giving utterance to their rage for a single instant, in the most frantic cries, they rushed upon
their prisoners in a body, with drawn knives arnd
uplifted tomahawks.  Heyward threw himself be.
tween the sisters and their enemies, the foremost
of whom  he grappled with a desperate strength
that for a moment checked his violence, This uncxpected resistance gave Magua time to interpose,
and with rapid enunciation and animated gestures,
he drew the attention of the band again to himself.
In that language he knew so well how to assume,
he diverted his comrades fiom their instant purpose, and invited them to prolong the misery of
their victims.  His proposal was received with
acclamations, and executed with the swiftness of
thought.
Two  powerful warriors cast themselves together on Heyward, while another was occupied
in securing the less active singing-master.  Neither of the captives, however, submitted without
a desperate though fruitless struggle. Even David
hurled his assailant to the earth; nor was Heyward secured, until the victory over his companion enabled the Indians to direct their united force
to that object. He was then bound and fastened
to the body of the sapling, on whose branches
Magua had acted the pantomime of the falling
Huron. When the young soldier regained his
recollection, he had the painful certainty before
his eyes, that a common fate was intended for the
whole party. On his right was Cora, in a durance
similar to his own, pale and agitated, but with an
eye, whose steady look still read the proceedings




THE MOHICANS.             155
of their enemies.  On his left, the withes which
bound her to a pine, performed that office for
Alice which her trembling limbs refused, and
alone kept her lovely but fragile form from sinking to the ground. Her hands were clasped before
her in prayer, but instead of looking upward to
that power which alone could rescue them, her
unconscious looks wandered to the countenance
of Duncan, with a species of infantile dependency.
David had contended; and the novelty of the circumstance held him silent, in deliberation, on the
propriety of the unusual occurrence.
The vengeance of the Hurons had now taken a
new direction, and they prepared to execute it,
with all that barbarous ingenuity, with which
they were familiarized by the practice of centuries.  Some sought knots, to raise the blazing
pile; one was riving the splinters of pine, in
order to pierce the flesh of their captives with the
burning fragments; and others bent the tops of
two saplings to the earth, in order to suspend
Heyward by the arms between  the recoiling
branches.  But the vengeance of Magua sought
a deeper and a more malignant enjoyment.
While the less refined monsters of the band
prepared, before the eyes of those who were to
suffer, these well known and vulgar means of tor
ture, he approached Cora, and pointed out, with
the most malign expression of countenance, the
speedy fate that awaited her" Ha!" he added, " what says the daughter of
Munro? Her head is too good to find a pillow in
the wigwam of le Renard; will she like it better
when it rolls about this hill, a plaything for the
wolves? Her bosom cannot nurse the children of
a Huron: she will see it spit upon by Indiansh"




156             THE LMAT 0o
"'What means the monster!" demanded -the
astonished Heyward
"Nothing!"  was lhe firm  hbit mild reply.:L He is a savage, a barbarous and ignorant savage,
and knows not what he does. Lei us find leisure,
with our dying breath, to ask for him penitence
and pardon."
" Pardon!" echoed the fierce Huron, mistaking,
in his anger, the meaning of her words; " the
memory of an Indian is longer than the arm of
the pale faces; his mercy shorter than their justice! Say; shall I send the yellow-hair to her
father, and will you follow Magua to the great
lakes, to carry his water, and feed him with
corn?"
Cora beckoned him away, with an emotion of
disgust she could not control.
"Leave me," she said, with a solemnity that
for a moment checked the barbarity of the Indian;
"you mingle bitterness in my prayers, and stand
between me and my God!"
The slight impression produced on the savage
was, however, soon forgotten, and he continued
pointing, with taunting irony, towards Alice.
" Look! the child weeps! She is young to die!
Send her to Munro, to comb his gray hairs, and
keep the life in the heart of the old man."
Cora could not resist the desire to look upor
her youthful sister, in whose eyes she met an imploring glance, that betrayed the longings of
nature.
" What says he, dearest Cora?" asked the trem
bling voice of Alice. " Did he speak of sending
me to our father?"
For many moments the elder sister looked upon
the younger, with a.:countenance that wavered
with powerful and contending emotions.  At




THE MOHICANS.               157
length she spoke, though her tones had lost their
rich and calm fulness, in an expression of tenderness, that seemed ma ernal.
" Alice," she said, " the Huron offers us both
life-nay, more than both; he offers to restore
Duncan-our invaluable Duncan, as well as you,
to our friends —to our father-to our heart-strick
en, childless father, if I will bow down this rebellious, stubborn pride of mine, and consent —.'
Her voice became choked, and clasping her
hand, she looked upward, as if seeking, in her
agony, intelligence from a wisdom that was infinite.
" Say on," cried Alice; " to what, dearest Cora?
Oh! that the proffer were made to me! to save
you, to cheer our aged father! to restore Duncan,
how cheerfully could I die!"
"Die!" repeated Cora, with a calmer and a
firmer voice,   that were easy! Perhaps the alternative may not be less so.  He would have me,"
she continued, her accents sinking under a deep
consciousness of the degradation of the proposal,
"follow him to the wilderness; to go to the habitions of the 1lurons; to remain there: in short, to
become his wife! Speak then, Alice; child of my
affections! sister of my love! And you too, Major
Heyward, aid my weak reason with your counsel.
Is life to be purchased by such a sacrifice? Will
you, Alice, receive it at my hands, at such a
price?  And you, Duncan; guide me; control me
between you; for I am wholly yours."
" Would I!" echoed the indignant and astonished youth.   " Cora! Cora! you jest with our
misery! Name not the horrid alternative again;
the thought itself is worse than a thousand deaths."
i  That such would be your answer, I well
knew 1"' exclaimed Cora, her cheeks flushing, and
()




158              THE LAST OF
her dark eyes once more sparkling with the glow
of the lingering but momentary emotions of a
woman.  " What says my Alice? for her will I
submit without another murmur."
Although both Heyward and Cora listened with
painful suspense and the deepest attention, no
sounds were heard in reply. It appeared as if the
delicate and sensitive form of Alice had shrunk
into itself, as she listened to this proposal.  Her
arms had fallen lengthwise before her, with the
fingers moving in slight convulsions; her head
dropped upon her bosom, and her whole person
seemed suspended against the tree, looking like
some beautiful emblem of the wounded delicacy
of her sex, devoid of animation, and yet keenly
conscious. In a few moments, however, her head
began to move slowly, in a sign of deep, uncon
querable disapprobation, and by the time the flush
of maiden pride had diffused itself over her fine
features, and her eye had lighted with the feelings
which oppressed her, she found strength to murmur" No, no, no; better that we should die, as we
have lived, together!"'Then die!" shouted Magua, hurling his tomahawk with violence at the unresisting speaker,
and gnashing his teeth with a rage that could no
longer be bridled, at this sudden exhibition of
firmness in the one he believed the weakest of the
party.  The axe cleaved the air in front of Heyward, and cutting some of the flowing ringlets of
Alice, buried itself, and quivered in the tree above
her head.  The sight maddened Duncan to desperation.  Collecting all his energies in one effort,
he snapped the twigs which bound him, and rushed upon another savage, who was preparing, with
loud yells, and a more deliberate aim, to repeat




THE MOHICANS.               -159
the blow.  They encountered, grappled, and fell
to the earth together.  The naked body of his
antagonist, afforded Heyward no means of holding
his adversary, who glided from his grasp, and rose
again with one knee on his chest, pressing him
down with the weight of a giant. Duncan already
saw the knife gleaming in the air, when a whistling sound swept past him, and was rather accompanied, than followed, by the sharp crack of a
rifle. He felt his breast relieved from the load it
had endured; he saw the savage expression of his
adversary's countenance change to a look of vacant
mildness, and then the Indian fell prostrate and
dead, on the faded leaves by his side.
CHAPTER XII.
" Clo.-I am gone, sir,
And anon, sir,
I'll be with you again." —Twefth.i'ght.
THE Hurons stood aghast at this sudden visitation of death on one of their band. But, as they
regarded the fatal accuracy of an aim, which had
dared to immolate an enemy, at so much hazard
to a friend, the name of "la Longue Carabine"
burst simultaneously from every lip, and was succeeded by a wild and a sort of plaintive howl.
The cry was answered by a loud shout from a little
thicket, where the incautious party had piled their
arms; and, at the next moment, IJawk-eye, too
eager to load the rifle he had regained, was seen
advancing upon them, brandishing the clubbed
weapon, and cutting the air with wide and powerful sweeps.  Bold and rapid as was the progress
of the scout, it was exceeded by that of a light and




160              THE LAST OF
vigorous form, which bounding past him, leaped,
with incredible activity and daring, into the very
centre of the Hurons, where it stood, whirling a
tomahawk, and flourishing a glittering knife, with
fearful menaces, in front of Cora.  Quicker than
the thoughts could follow these unexpected and
audacious movements, an image, armed in the
emblematic panoply of death, stole, with the imaginary glidings of a spectre, before their eyes,
and assumed a threatening attitude at the other's
side. The savage tormentors recoiled before these
warlike intruders, and uttered, as they appeared,
in such quick succession, the often repeated and
peculiar exclamation of surprise, followed by the
well known and dreaded appellations of"Le Cerf Agile! ]e Gros Serpent!"
But the wary and vigilant leader of the Hurons,
was not so easily disconcerted. Casting his keen
eyes around the little plain, he comprehended the
nature of the assault, at a glance, and encouraging
his followers by his voice, as well as by hiL example, he unsheathed his long and dangerous
knife, and rushed, with a loud whoop, upon the
expecting Chingachgook. It was the signal for a
general combat. Neither party had fire-arms, and
the contest was to be decided in the deadliest
manner; hand to hand, with weapons of offence,
and none of defence.
Uncas answered the whoop, and leaping on an
enemy, with a single, well-directed blow of his
tomahawk, cleft him to the brain. Heyward tore
the weapon of.Magua from the sapling, and rush
ed eagerly towards the fray. As the combatants
were now equal in number, eich singled an opponent from the adverse band. The rush and blows
passed with the fury of a whirlwind, and the swiftness of lightning   Hawk-eye soon got another




THE MOHICANS.              161
enemy within reach of his arm, and with one
sweep of his formidable weapon, he beat down the
slight and iiartificial defences of his antagonist.
crushing him to the earth with the weight of his
blow.  Heyward ventured to hurl the tomahawk
he had seized, too ardent to await the moment of
closing. It struck the Indian he had selected on
the forehead, and checked for an instant his onward rush. Encouraged by this slight advantage.
the impetuous young man continued his onset, and
sprang upon his enemy with naked hands.  A
single instant was sufficient to assure him of the
rashness of the measure, for he immediately found
himself fully engaged, with all his activity and
courage, in endeavouring to ward the desperate
thrusts made with the knife of the Huron. Unable
longer to foil an enemy so alert and vigilant, he
threw his arms about him, and succeeded in pinning the limbs of the other to his side, with an
iron grasp, but one that was far too exhausting to
himself to continue long. In this extremity he
heard a voice near him, shouting" Extarminate the varlets! no quarter to an accursed Mingo!"
At the next moment, the breech of Hawk-eye's
rifle fell on the naked head of his adversary, whose
muscles appeared to wither under the shock, as he
sunk from the arms of Duncan, flexible and mo
tionless.
When Uncas had brained his first antagonist  he
turned, like a hungry lion, to seek another.  the
fifth and only Huron disengaged at the first onset,
had paused a moment, and then seeing that all
around him were employed in the deadly strife,
he had sought, with hellish vengeance, to complete
the baffled work of revenge. Raising a shout of
triumph, he had sprung towards the defenceless
0 2




162.      THE LAST OF
Cora, sending his keen axe, as the dreadful pre
cursoi of his approach.  The tomahawk grazed
her shoulder, and cutting the withes which bound
her to the tree, left the maiden at liberty to fly.
She eluded the grasp of the savage, and reckless
of her own safety, threw herself on the bosom of
Alice, striving, with convulsed and ill-directed
fingers, to tear asunder the twigs which confined
the person of her sister.  Any other than a mon:
ster would have relented at such an act-of generous
devotion to the best and purest affection; but the
breast of the Huron was a stranger to any sympathy in the moments of his fury. Seizing Cora
by the rich tresses which fell in glossy confusion
about her form, he tore her from her frantic hold,
and bowed her down with brutal violence to her
knees. The savage drew the flowing curls through
his hand, and raising them on high with an outstretched arm, he passed the knife around the
exquisitely moulded head of his victim, with a
taunting and exulting laugh. But he purchased
this moment of fierce gratification, with the loss
of the fatal opportunity. It was just then the sight
caught the eye of Uncas. Bounding from his footsteps, he appeared for an instant darting through
the air, and descending in a ball he fell on the
chest of his enemy, driving him for many yards
from the spot, headlong and prostrate.  The violence of the exertion cast the young Mohican at
his side.  They arose together, fought, and bled,
each in his turn. But the conflict was soon decided; the tomahawk of Heyward, and the rifle of
Hawk-eye, descending on the skull of the Huron,
at the same moment that the knife of Uncas reached his heart.
The battle was now entirely terminated, with
the exception of the protracted struggle between




THE MOHIICANS.             163
"le Renard Subtil" and " le Gros Serpent." Well
did these barbarous warriors prove that they deserved those significant names, which had been
bestowed for deeds in former wars.  When they
engaged, some little time was lost in eluding the
quick and vigorous thrusts which had been aimed
at their several lives.  Suddenly darting on each
other, they closed, and came to the earth, twisted
together, like twining serpents, in pliant and subtle
folds.  At the moment when the victors found
themselves unoccupied, the spot where these experienced and desperate combatants lay, could
only be distinguished by a cloud of dust and leaves,
which moved from  the centre of the little plain
towards its boundary, as if raised by the passage
of a whirlwind.  Urged by the different motives
of filial affection, friendship, and gratitude, Heyward and his companions rushed with one accord
to the place, encircling the little canopy which
hung above the warriors. In vain did Uncas dart
around the cloud, with a wish to strike his knife
into the heart of his father's foe; the threatening
rifle of Hawk-eye was raised and suspended in
vain; while Duncan endeavoured to seize the limbs
of the Huron, with hands that appeared to*have
lost their power. Covered, as they were, with
dust and blood, the swift and subtle evolutions of
the combatants seemed to incorporate their bodies
into one.  The death-like looking figure of the
Mohican, and the dark form of the Huron, gleamed before their eyes in such quick and confused
succession, that the friends of the former knew
not where nor when to plant their succouring
blows. It is true, there were short and fleeting
moments, when the fiery eyes of Magua were
seen glittering, like the fabled organs of the basilisk, through the dusty wreath by which he was




1-4              THE LAST OF
enveloped, and he read by those short and deadly
glances, the fate of the combat in the hated countenances and in the presence of his enemies; ere,
however, any hostile hand could descend on his
devoted head, its place was filled by the scowling
visage of Chingachgook.  In this manner, the
scene of the combat was removed from the centre
of the little plain to its verge. The Mohican now
found an opportunity to make a powerful thrust
with his knife; Magua suddenly relinquished his
grasp, and fell backward, without motion, and,
seemingly, without life. His adversary leaped
on his feet, making the arches of the forest ring
with the sounds of his shout of triumph.
" Well done for the Delawares! victory to the
Mohican!" cried Hawk-eye, once more elevating
the butt of the long and fatal rifle; "a finishing
blow from a man without a cross, will never tell
against his honour, nor rob him of his right to the
scalp!"
But, at the very moment when the dangerous
weapon was in the act of descending, the subtle
Huron rolled swiftly from  beneath the danger,
over the edge of the precipice, and falling on his
feet, was seen leaping, with a single bound, into
the centre of a thicket of low bushes, which clung
along its sides. The Delawares, who had believed
their enemy dead, uttered their exclamation of
surprise, and were following with speed and clamour, like hounds in open view of the deer, when
a shrill and peculiar cry from the scout, instantly
changed their purpose, and recalled them to the
summit of the hill.'Twas like himself!" cried the inveterate
forester, whose prejudices contributed so largely
to veil his natural sense of justice in all matters
which concerned the Mingoes; "a lying and de




THE MOHICANS.               165
cellful varlet as he is! An honest Delaware now,
being fairly vanquished, would have laid still, and
been knocked on the head, but these knavish
Maquas cling to life like so many cats-o'-the-mountain.  Let him go-let him go;'tis but one man,
and he without either rifle or bow, many a long
mile from his French commerades; and, like a rattier that has lost his fangs, he can do no farther
mischief, until such time as he, and we too, may
leave the. prints of our moccasins over a long reach
of sandy plain.  See, Uncas," he added, in Delaware, "your father is flaying the scalps already'
It may be well to go round and feel the vagabonds
that are left, or we may have another of them
loping through the woods, and screeching like any
jay that has been winged!"
So saying, the honest, but implacable scout,
made the circuit of the dead, into whose senseless
bosoms he thrust his long knife, with as much
coolness, as though they had been so many brute
carcasses. He had, however, been anticipated by
the elder Mohican, who had already torn the emblems of victory from the unresisting heads of the
slain.
But Uncas, denying his habits, we had almost
said his nature, flew with instinctive delicacy, accompanied by Heyward to the assistance of the
sisters, and quickly releasing Alice, placed her in
the open arms of Cora.  We shall not attempt to
describe the gratitude to the Almighty Disposer
of events which glowed in the bosoms of the
lovely maidens, who were thus unexpectedly restored to life, and to each other.  Their thanksgivings were deep and silent; the offerings of their
gentle spirits, burning brightest and purest on the
secret altars of their hearts; and their renovated
and more earthly feelings exhibiting themselves




166               THE LAST OF
in long and fervent, though speechless caresses.
As Alice arose from  her knees, where she had
sunken, by the side of Cora, she threw herself on
the bosom of her sister, and sobbed aloud the name
of their aged father, while her soft, dove-like eyes,
sparkled with the rays of revived hope, the intelligence with which they beamed partaking more
of the ethereal than of any expression which might
belong to human infirmity
"We are saved! we are saved!" she murmured;' to return to the arms of our dear, dear father,
and his heart will not be broken with grief! And
you too, Cora, my sister; my more than sister, my
mother; you too are spared! and Duncan," she
added, looking round upon the youth, with a smile
of ineffable purity and innocence, "even our own
brave and noble Duncan has escaped without a
hurt!"
To these ardent and nearly incoherent words,
Cora made no other answer than by straining the
youthful speaker to her heart, as she bent over her,
in melting tenderness. The manhood of Heyward
felt no shame, in dropping tears over this spectacle
of affectionate rapture; and Uncas stood, fresh and
blood-stained from  the combat, a calm, and, apparently, an unmoved looker-on, it is true, but
with eyes that had already lost their fierceness,
and were beaming with a sympathy, that elevated
him far above the intelligence, and advanced him
probably centuries before the practices of his nation.
During this display of emotions so natural in
their situation, Hawk-eye, whose vigilant distrust
had satisfied itself that the Hurons, who disfigured the heavenly scene, no longer possessed the
power to interrupt its harmony, approached David,
and liberated him from the bonds he had. until that




THE MOHICANS.              1 07
moment, endured with the most exemplary pa
tience.
"'There," exclaimed the scout, casting the lasf
withe behind him, " you are once more master oi
your own limbs, though you seem not to use them
with much greater judgment than that, in which
they were first fashioned.  If advice from  one
who is not older than yourself, but who,having
lived most of his time in the wilderness, may be
said to have experience beyond his years, will give
no offence, you are welcome to my thoughts; and
these are, to part with the little tooting instrument in your jacket to the first fool you meet with,
and buy some useful we'pon with the money, if
it be only the barrel of a horseman's pistol.  By
industry and care, you might thus come to some
prefarment; for by this time, I should think, your
eyes would plainly tell you, that a carrion crow is
a better bird than a mocking thresher. The one
will, at least, remove foul sights from before the
face of man, while the other is only good to brew
disturbances in the woods, by cheating the ears of
all that hear them."' Arms and the clarion for the battle, but the
song of thanksgiving to the victory!" answered
thle liberated David. " Friend," he added, thrust
ing forth his lean, delicate hand, toward Hawk
eye, in kindness, while his eyes twinkled and
grew moist, " I thank thee that the hairs of my
head still grow where they were first rooted hy
Providence; for, though those of other men may
be more glossy and curling, I have ever found mine
own comfortable, and well suited to the brain they
shelter.  That I did not join myself to the battle,
was less owing to disinclination, than to the bonds
of the heathen.  Valiant and skilful hast thou
proved thyself in the conflict, and I hereby thank




168              THE. LAST OF
thee, before proceeding to discharge other and more
important duties, because thou hast proved thyself
well worthy of a Christian's praise!"
"The thing is hut a trifle, and what you may
often see, if you tarry long among us," returned
the scout, a good deal softened in his feelings toward the man of song, by this uliequivocal expression of his gratitude.  "1 have got back my old
companion,'kill-deer,"' he added, striking his
hand on the breech of his rifle," and that in itself
is a victory. These Iroquois are cunning, but they
outwitted themselves when they placed all their
fire-arms out of reach; and had Uncas, or his father, been gifted with only their common Indian
patience, we should have come in upon the knaves
with three bullets instead of one, and that would
have made a finish of the whole pack; yon lopeing varlet, as well as his commerades. But'twas
all fore-ordered, and for the best!"
" Thou sayest well," returned David, " and
hast caught the true spirit of christianity.  He
that is to be saved will be saved, and he that is
predestined to be damned will be damned! This
is the doctrine of truth, and most consoling and
refreshing it is to the true believer."
The scout, who by this time w is seated, examining into the state of his rifle with a species of
parental assiduity, now looked up at the other in a
displeasure that he did not affect to conceal, rough
ly.jnterrupting his further speech.
" Doctrine, or no doctrine," said the sturdy
woodsman, "'tis the belief of knaves, and the
curse of an honest man! I can credit that yonder
Huron was to fall by my hand, for with my own
eyes have I seen it; but nothing short of being a
witness, will cause me to think he has met with




THE MOHICANS.              169'my reward, or that Chingachgook, there, will be
condemned at the final dav "
"' You have no warranty for such an audacious
doctrine, nor any covenant to support it," cried
the excited David, who was deeply tinctured with
the subtle distinctions, which, in his time, and
more especially in his province, had been drawn
around the beautiful simplicity of revelation, by
endeavouring to penetrate the awful mystery of
the divine nature, supplying faith by self-sufficiency, and by consequence, involving those who
reasoned from such human dogmas in absurdities
and doubt; " your temple is reared on the sands
and the first tempest will wash away its foundation.  I demand your authorities for such an uncharitable assertion; (like other advocates of a
system, David was not always accurate in his use
of terms.) Name chapter and verse; in which of
the holy books do you find language to support
you?"
4'Book!" repeated Hawk-eye, with singular
and ill-concealed disdain; "do you take me for a
whimpering boy, at the apron string of one of
your old gals; and this good rifle on my knee for
the feather of a goose's wing, my ox's horn for a
bottle of ink, and my leathern pouch for a crossbarred handkercher of yesterday's dinner! Book!
what have such as I, who am a warrior of the wilderness, though a man without a cross, to do with
books! I never read but in one, and the words
that are written there are too simple and too plain
to need much schooling; though I may boast that
of forty long and hard working years."
"What call you the volume?" said David, misconceiving the other's meaning.
"'Tis open before your eyes," returned the
scout; Cantd he who owns it is not a niggard of
P




170              THE LAST OF
its use.  I have heard it said, that there are men
who read in books, to convince themselves there
is a God!  I know  not but man may so deform
his works in the settlements, as to leave that
which i: so clear in the wilderness, a matter of
doubt among traders and priests.  If any such
there be, and he will follow me from sun to sun,
through the windings of the forest, he shall see
enough to teach him that he is a fool, and that the
greatest of his folly lies in striving to rise to the
level of one he can never equal, be it in goodness,
or be it in power. "
The instant David discovered that he battled
with a disputant who imbibed his faith from  the
lights of nature, eschewing all subtleties of doctrine, he willingly abandoned a controversy, from
which he believed neither profit nor credit were to
be derived.  While the scout was speaking, he
had also seated himself, and producing the ready
little volume, and the iron-rimmed spectacles, he
prepared to discharge a duty, which nothing but
the unexpected assault he had received in his ortho.
doxy, could have so long suspended.  He was,
in truth, a minstrel of the western continent, of
a much later day, certainly, than those gifted
bards, who formerly sung the profane renown of
baron and prince, but after the spirit of his own
age and country; and he was now prepared to exercise the cunning of his craft, in celebration of,
or rather in thanksgiving for, the recent victory.
He waited patiently for Hawk-eye to cease, thel.
lifting his eyes, together with his voice, he said,
aloud
" I invite you, friends, to join in praise for this
signal deliverance from  the hands of barbarians
and infidels, to the comfortable and solemn tones
of the tune, called' Northampton."'




THE MOHICANS.               171
He next named the page and verse where the
gifted rhymes he had selected were to be found,
and applied the pitch-pipe to his lips, with the customary and decent gravity, that he had been wont
to use in the'temple. This time he was, however,
without any accompaniment, for the sisters were
just then pouring out those tender effusions of
affection, which have been already alluded to
Nothing deterred by the smallness of his audience,
which, in truth, consisted only of the discontented
scout, he raised his voice, commencing and ending the sacred song, without accident or interruption of any kind.
Hawk-eye listened, while he coolly adjusted his
flint and reloaded his rifle, but the sounds wanting
the extraneous assistance of scene and sympathy,
failed to awaken his slumbering emotions. Never
minstrel, or by whatever more suitable name
David should be known, drew upon his talents in
the presence of more insensible auditors; though
considering the singleness and sincerity of his motiYe, it is probable that no bard of profane song
ever uttered notes that ascended so near to that
throne, where all homage and praise is most due.
The scout soon shook his head, and muttering
some unintelligible words, among which " Throat"
and "Iroquois," were alone audible, he walked
away, to collect and to examine into the state of
the captured arsenal of the Hurons. In this office
he was now joined by Chingachgook, who found
his own, as well as the rifle of his son, among the
arms.  E-en Hevward and David were furnished
with weapons, nor was ammunition wanting to
render them all effectual.
When the foresters had made their selection,
and distributed their prizes, the scout announced,
openly, that the hour had arrived when it was




178              THE LAST OF
necessary to move.  By this time the song of
Gamut had ceased, and the sisters had learned to
still the exhibition of their emotions. Aided by
Duncan and the younger Mohican, the two latter
descended the precipitous sides of that hill which
they had so lately ascended, under such very different auspices, and whose summit had so nearly
proved the scene of their horrible massacre. At
the foot, they found their Narragansets browsing
the herbage of the bushes, and having mounted,
they followed the movements of a guide, who, in
the most deadly straits, had so often proved himself their friend. Their journey was, however,
short. Hawk-eye, leaving the blind path that the
Hurons had followed, turned short to his right, and
entering the thicket, he crossed a babbling brook,
and halted in a narrow dell, under the shade of a
few. water elms.  Their distance from the base of
the fatal hill was but a few rods, and the steeds had
been serviceable to the maidens only in crossing
the shallow stream.
The scout and the Indians appeared to be familiar
witli the sequestered place where they now were;
for, leaning their rifles against the trees, they commenced throwing aside the dried leaves, and opening the blue clay, out of which a clear and sparkling spring of bright, glancing water, quickly
bubbled.  The white man then looked about him,
as though seeking for some object, which was not
to be found as readily as he expected" Them careless imps, the Mohawks, with their
Tuscaroia and Onondaga brethren, have been here
slaking their thirst," he muttered, "and the vagabonds have thrown away the gourd! This is the
way with benefits, when they are bestowed on
such disremembering hounds! Here has the Lord
laid his hand, in the midst of the howling wilder




THE MOHICANS.              173
ness, for their good, and raised a fountain of water
from the bowels of the'arth, that might laugh at
the riches. shop of apothecary's ware in all the
colonies; and see! the knaves have trodden in the
clay, and deformed the cleanliness of the place, as
though they were brute beasts, instead of human
men!"
Uncas silently extended towards him the desired
gourd, which the spleen of Hawk-eye had hitherto
prevented him  from  observing, suspended, with
sufficient care, on a branch of an elm.  Filling it
with water, he retired a short distance, to a place
where the ground was more firm  and dry; here
he coolly seated himself, and after taking a long
and, apparently, a grateful draught, he commencea
a very strict examination of the fragments of fooa
left by the Hurons, which had hung in a wallet on
his arm.
" Thank you, lad," he continued, returning the
empty gourd to Uncas; "now  we will see how
these rampaging Hurons lived, when outlying in
ambushments.  Look at this! The varlets know
the better pieces of the deer, and one would think
they might carve and roast a saddle, equal to the
best cook in the land! But every thing is raw,
for them Iroquois are thorough savages.  Uncas,
take my steel, and kindle a fire; a mouthful of a
tender broil will give natur a helping hand, after
so long a trail."
Heyward, perceiving that their guides now set
about their repast in sober earnest, assisted the
maidens to alight, and placed himself at their side,
not unwilling to enjoy a few moments of grateful
rest, after the bloody scene he had just gone
through. While the culinary process was in hand,
curioslty nduced him to inquire into the circurnP2




174              THE LAST OF
stances which had led to their timely and unexpected- rescue" How is it that we see you so soon, my generous friend," he asked, " and without aid from the
garrison of Edward?"
"Had we gone to the bend in the river, we
might have been in time to rake the leaves over
your bodies, but too late to have saved your
scalps," coolly answered the scout.  " No, no;
instead of throwing away strength and opportunity
by crossing to the fort, we lay by, under the bank
of the Hudson, waiting to watch the movements
of the Hurons."
"You then were witnesses of all that passed!'"
"' Not of all; for Indian sight is too keen to be
easily cheated, and we kept close.  A  difficult
matter it was, too, to keep this Mohican boy snug
in the ambushment! Ah! Uncas, Uncas, your
behaviour was more like that of a curious woman,
than of a warrior on his scent!"
Uneas permitted his penetrating eyes to turn
for an instant on the sturdy countenance of the
speaker, but he neither spoke, nor gave any indication of repentance for his error.  On the contrary, Heyward thought the manner of the young
Mlohican was disdainful, if not a little fierce, and
that lie suppressed passions that were ready to explode, as much in compliment to the listeners,
as from the deference he usually paid to his white
associate.
* "You saw  our capture?" Heyward next demanded.
"We heard it," was the significant answer
"An Indian yell is plain language to men who
have passed their days in the woods.  But when
you landed, we were driven to crawl, like sarpents, beneath the leaves; and then we lost sight




THE MOHICANS.              175
of you entirely, until we placed eyes on you again
trussed to the trees, and ready bound for an Indian massacre."
" Our rescue was the deed of Providence! It
was nearly a miracle that you took not the wrong
pith, for the Hurons divided, and each band ot
them had its horses!"
" Ay! there we were thrown off the scent, and
might, indeed, have lost the trail, had it not been
for Uncas," returned the scout, with the tone and
manner of a man who recalled all the embarrassment of the past moment; " we took the path,
however, that led into the wilderness; for we
judged, and judged rightly, that the savages would
hold that course with their prisoners. But when
we had followed it for many miles, without finding a single twig broken, as I had advised, my
mind misgave me; especially as all the footsteps
had the prints of moccasins."
"' Our captors had the precaution to see us shod
like themselves," said Duncan, raising a foot, and
exhibiting the gayly ornamented buskin he wore.
" Ay!'twas judgmatical, and like themselves;
though we were too expart to be thrown fiom a
trail by so common an invention."
"- To what then are we indebted for our safety?"
" To what, as a white man who has no taint of
Indian blood, I should be ashamed to own; to the
judgment of the young Mohican, in matters which
I should know better than he, but which I can
now hardly believe to be true, though my own
eyes tell me it is so."
"'Tis extraordinary! will you not name the
reason?"
" Uncas was bold enough to say, that the beasts
ridden by the gentle ones," continued Hawk-eye,
glancing his eyes, not without curious interest on




176               THE LAST OF
the sorrel fillies of the ladies, "planted the legs
of one side on the ground at the same time, which
is contrary to the movements of all trotting fourfooted animals of my knowledge, except the bear!
And yet here are horses that always journey iii
this manner, as my own eyes have seen, and as
their trail has shown for twenty long miles!"
"'Tis the merit of the animal! They come
from the shores of Narraganset Bay, in the small
province of Providence Plantations, and are celebrated for their hardihood, and the ease of this peculiar movement; though other horses are not unfrequently trained to the same."
"It may be-it may be," said Hawk-eye, who
had listened with singular attention to this explanation; "though I am a man who has the full
blood of the whites, my judgment in deer and
beaver is greater than in beasts of burthen. Major Effingham has many noble chargers, but I have
never seen one travel after such a sideling gait!"
" True, for he would value the animals for very
different properties.  Still, is this a breed highly
esteemed, and as you witness, much honoured
with the burthens it is often destined to bear."
The Mohicans had suspended their operations
about the glimmering fire, to listen, and when
Duncan had done, they looked at each other significantly, the father uttering the never-failing ex
clamation of surprise. The scout ruminated, like
a man digesting his newly acquired knowledge,
and once more stole a curious glance at the horses,
before he continued"   dare to say there are even stranger sights to
be seen in the settlements!" he said, at length
" natur is sadly abused by nr an, when he once gets
the mastery.  But, go sideling, or go straight,
Uncas had seen the movement, and their trail led




THE MOHICANS.               177
us on to the broken bush.  The outer branch, near
the prints of one of the horses, was bent upward,
as a lady breaks a flower from its stem, but all the
rest were ragged and broken down, as if the
strong hand of a man had been tearing them! So
I concluded, that the cunning varments had seen
the twig bent, and had torn the rest, to make us
believe a buck had been feeling the boughs with
nis antlers."
" I do believe your sagacity did not deceive
you; for some such thing occurred!"
"That was easy to see," added the scout, in no
degree conscious of having exhibited any extraordinary sagacity; " and a very different matter it
was from  a waddling horse! It then struck me
the Mingoes would push for this spring, for the
knaves well know the vartue of its waters!"
" Is it, then, so famous?" demanded Heyward,
examining, with a more curious eye, the secluded
dell, with its bubbling fountain, surrounded, as it
was, by earth of a deep dingy brown.
" Few red-skins, who travel south and east of
the great lakes, but have heard of its qualities.
Will you taste for yourself?"
Heyward took the gourd, and after swallowing
a little of the water, threw it aside with violent
grimaces of discontent.  The scout laughed in his
silent, but heartfelt manner, and shook his head
with vast satisfaction, as he continued"Ah! you want the flavour that one gets by
habit; the time was when I liked it as little as
yourself; but I have come to my taste, and I now
crave it, as a deer does the licks.  Your high
spiced wines are not better liked than a red-skin
relishes this water; especially when his natur is
ailing. But Uncas has made his fire, and it is time




178      THE LAST OF THE MOHICAN3.
we think of eating, for our j)urney is iong, and
all before us."
Interrupting the dialogue by this abrupt transi
tion, the scout had inslant recourse to the frag
ments of food, which had escaped the voracity of
the Hurons.  A very summary process completed
the simple cookery, when he and the Mohicans
commenced their humble meal, with the silence
and characteristic diligence of men, who ate in order to enable themselves to endure great and unremitting toil.
When this necessary, and, happily, gratefi,
duty had been performed, each of the foresters
stooped and took a long and parting draught, at
that solitary and silent spring, around which and
its sister fountains, within fifty years, the wealth,
beauty, and talents, of a hemisphere, were to assemble in such throngs, in pursuit of health and
pleasure.  Then Hawk-eye announced his determination to proceed.  The sisters resumed their
saddles; Duncan and David grasped their rifles,
and followed on their footsteps; the scout leading
the advance, and the Mohicans bringing up the
rear.  The whole party moved swiftly through
the narrow path, towards the north, leaving the
healing waters to mingle unheeded with the adjacent brook, and the bodies of the dead to fester on
the neighbouring mount, without the rites of sepulture; a fate but too common to the warriors of
the woods, to excite either commiseration or corn
ment.




CHAPTER XIII.
"I'll seek a readier path." —Parndl.
THE route taken by Hawk-eye lay across those
sandy plains, relieved by occasional valleys and
swells of land, which had been traversed by their
i'arty on the morning of the same day, with the
baffled Magua for their guide.  The sun had now
fallen low towards the distant mountains, and as
their journey lay through the interminable forest,
the heat was no longer oppressive.  Their progress, in consequence, was proportionate, and long
before the twilight gathered about them, they had
made good many toilsome miles, on their return
patlh
The hunter, like the savage whose place he
filled, seemed to select among the blind signs of
theirvild route with a species of instinct, seldom
abating in his speed, and never pausing to deliberate.  A rapid and oblique glance at the moss
on the trees, with an occasional upward gaze towards the setting sun, or a steady but passing look
at the direction of the numerous water courses,
through which he waded, were sufficient to determine his path, and remove his greatest difficulties.
In the mean time, the forest began to change its
hues, losing that lively green which had embellished its arches, in the graver light, which is the
usual precursor of the close of day.
While the eyes of the sisters were endeavouring
to catch glimpses, through the trees, of the flood
of golden glory, which formed a glittering halo
around the sun, tinging here and there, with ruby
streaks, or bordering with tnarrow  edgings of
shining yellow, a mass of clouds that lay piled




180              THE LAST OF
at no great distance above the western hills, Hlwkeye turned suddenly, and pointing upward towards
the gorgeous heavens, he spoke.
" Yonder is the signal given to man to seek his
food and natural rest," he said; "better arid wiser
would it be, if he could understand the signs of
nature, and take a lesson from the fowls of the air,
and the beasts of the fields! Our night, however,
will soon be over, for, with the moon, we must be
up an( moving again.  I remember to have font
the Maquas hereaways, in the first war in which
I ever drew blood from man; and we threw up a
work of blocks, to keep the ravenous varments
from  handling our scalps.  If my marks do not
fail me, we shall find the place a few rods furthel
to our left.'
Without waiting for an assent, or, indeed, for
any reply, the sturdy hurter moved boldly into a
dense thicket of young chestnuts, shoving aside
the branches of the exuberant shoots which fearly
covered the ground, like a man who expected, at
each step, to discover some object he had formerly
known. The recollection of the scout did not deceive him. After penetrating through the brush,
matted as it was with briars, for a few hundred
feet, he entered into an open space, that surround
ed a low, green hillock, which was crowned by
the decayed block-house in question. This rude
and neglected building was one of those deserted
works, whick, having been thrown up on an emergency, had been abandoned with the disappeal
ance of danger, and was now quietly crumbling
in the solitude of the forest, neglected, and nearly
forgotten, like the circumstances which had caused
it to be reared.  Such memorials of the passage
and struggles of man are yet frequent throughout
the broad barrier of wilderness, which once sepa



THE MOHICANS.              181
rated the hostile provinces, and form a species of
ruins, that are intimately associated with the recollections of colonial history, and which are in appropriate keeping with the gloomy character of
the surrounding scenery.  The roof of bark had
long since fallen and mingled with the soil, but
the huge logs of pine, which had been hastily
thrown together, still preserved their relative positions, though one angle of the work had given
way under the pressure, and threatened a speedy
downfall to the remainder of the rustic edifice.
While Heyward and his companions hesitated to
approach a building of such a decayed appearance,
Hawk-eye and the Indians entered within.the low
walls, not only without fear, but with obvious
interest.  While the former surveyed the ruins.
both internally and externally, with the curiosity
of one whose recollections were reviving at each
moment, Chingachgook related to his son, in the
language of the Delawares, and with the pride of
a conqueror, the brief history of the skirmish
which had been fought in his youth, in that secluded spot.  A strain of melaneholy, however,
blended with his triumph, rendering his voice, as
usual, soft and musical.
In the mean time, the sisters gladly dismounted,
and prepared to enjoy their halt in the coolness of
the evening, and in a security which they believec
nothing but the beasts of the forest could invade.
" Would not our resting-place have been more
retired, my worthy friend," demanded the more
vigilant Duncan, perceiving that the scout had already finished his short survey, "had we chosen
a spot less known, and one more rarely visited
than this?"
"Few live who know the block-house was ever
raised." was the slow and musing answei;.b'tis
Q




182               THE LAST OF
not often that books are made and narratives wr'tten, of such a skrimmage as was here fout atween
the Mohicans and the Mohawks, in a war of their
own waging. I was then a younker, and went out
with the Delawares, because I know'd they were
a scandalized and wronged race.  Forty days and
flrty nights did the imps crave our blood around
this pile of logs, which I designed and partly
reared, being, as you'll remember, no Indian myself, but a man without a cross.  The Delawares
lent themselves to the work, and we made it good,
ten to twenty, until our numbers were nearly
equal, and then we sallied out upon the hounds.
and nq a man of them ever got back to tell the
fate of his party.  Yes, yes; I was then young,
and new to the sight of blood, and not relishing
the thought that creatures who had spirits like
myselF, should lay on the naked ground, to be torn
asunder by beasts, or to bleach in the rains, I
buried the dead with my own hands, under that
very little hillock, where you have placed yourselves; and no bad seat does it make either, though
it be raised by the bones of mortal men."
Heyward and the sisters arose on the instant
from the grassy sepulchre; nor could the two latter, notwithstanding the terrific scenes they had so
recently passed through, entirely suppress an emotion of natural horror, when they found themselves in such familiar contact with the grave of
the dead Mohawks.  The gray light, the gloomy
little area of dark grass, surrounded by its borer of brush, beyond which the pirios rose, in
breathing silence, apparently, into the very clouds,
and the death-like stillness of the vast forest, were
all in unison to deepen such a sensation.
" They are gone, and they are harmless," con
tinued Hawk-eye, waving his hand, with a melan




THE MOHICANS.               183
enoly smile, at their manifest alarm; " they'll
never shout the war-whoop, nor strike a blow with
the tomahawk, again! And of all those who aided
in placing them where they lie, Chingachgook and
I only are living! The brothers and family of the
M'ohican formed our war party, and you see before
you, all that are now left of his race."'l'he eyes of the listeners involuntarily sought
the forms of the Indians, with a compassionate
interest in their desolate fortune. Their dark persons were still to be seen within the shadows of
the block-house, the.son listening to the relation
of his father, with that sort of intenseness, which
would be created by a narrative, that redounded
so much to the honour of those, whose names he
had long revered for their courage and savage
virtues."
" I had thought the Delawares a pacific people,"
said Duncan, " and that they never waged war in
person; trusting the defence of their lands to those
very Mohawks that you slew!"
"' Tis true in part," returned the scout, " and
yet, at the bottom,'tis a wicked lie. Such a treaty
was made in ages gone by, through the deviltries
of the Dutchers, who wished to disarm the natives
that had the best right to the country, where they
had settled themselves.  The Mohicans, though
a part of the same nation, having to deal with the
Englisl, never entered into the silly bargain, but
kept to their manhood; as in truth did the Delawares, when their eyes were opened to their folly.
You see before you, a chief of the great Mohican
Sagamores! Once his family could chase their deer
over tracts of country wider than that which belongs to the Albany Patteroon, without crossing
brook or hill, that was not their own; but what is
left to their descendant! He may find his six feet




*.84             THE LAST OF
of earth, when God chooses; and keep it in peace,
perhaps, if he has a friend who will take the pains
to sink his head so low, that the ploughshares
cannot reach it!"
"Enough!" said Heyward, apprehensive that
the subject might lead to a discussion that would
interrupt the harmony, so necessary to the preservation of his fair companions; "we have journeyed far, and few among us are blest with forms
like that of yours, which seems to know neither
fatigue nor weakness."
" The sinews and bones of a man carry me
through it ail," said the hunter, surveying his
muscular limbs with a simplicity that betrayed the
honest pleasure the compliment afforded him,
" there are larger and heavier men to be found in
the settlements, but you might travel many days
in a city, before you could meet one able to walk
fifty miles without stopping to take breath, or who
has kept the hounds within hearing during a chase
of hours.  However, as flesh and blood are no.
always the same, it is quite reasonable to suppose,
that the gentle ones are willing to rest, after all
they have seen and done this day. U lcas, clear
out the spring, while your father and I make a
cover for their tender heads of these chestnut
shoots, and a bed of grass and leaves."
The dialogue ceased, while the hunter and his
companions busied themselves in preparations for
the comfort and protection of those they guided.
A spring, which many long years before had in.
duced the natives to select the place for their temporary fortification, was soon cleared of leaves,
and a fountain of crystal gushed from the bed, diffusing its waters over the verdant hillock. A corner of the building was then roofed in such a manner, as to exclude the heavy dew of the climate,




THE MOHICANS.              185
and piles of sweet shrubs and dr.'ed leaves were
laid beneath it, for the sisters to repose on.,
While the diligent woodsmen were employed
in this manner, Cora and Alice partook of that refreshment, which duty required, much more than
inclination prompted,.them to accept. They then
retired within the walls, and first offering up theil
thanksgivings for past mercies, and petitioning foi
a continuance of the Divine favour throughout the
coming night, they laid their tender forms on
the fragrant couch, and in spite of recollections
and forebodings, soon sunk into those slumbers
which nature so imperiously demanded, and which
were sweetened by hopes for the morrow. Duncan
had prepared himself to pass the night in watchfulness, near them, just without the ruin; but the
scout, perceiving his intention, pointed towards
Chingachgook, as he coolly disposed his own person on the grass, and said" The eyes of a white man are too heavy, and
too blind, for such a watch as this! The Mohican
will be our sentinel; therefore, let us sleep."
" I proved myself a sluggard on my post during
the past night," said Heyward, " and have less
need of repose than you, who did more credit to
the character of a soldier. Let all the party seek
their rest, then, while I hold the guard."
" If we lay among the white tents of the 60th,
and in front of an enemy like the Frei cli, I could
not ask for a better watchman," returned the
scout; " but in the darkness, and among the signs
of the wilderness, your judgment would be like
the folly of a child, and your vigilance thrown
away.  Do, then, like Uncas and myself sleep,
and sleep in safety."
Heyward perceived, in truth, that the younger
Indian had thrown his form on the side of the
Q2




186              THE LAST OF
hillock, while they were talking, like one who
sought to make the most of the time allotted to
rest, and that his example had been followed by
David, whose voice literally'clove to his jaws'
with the fever of his wound, heightened, as it was,
by their toilsome march.  Unwilling to prolong a
useless discussion, the young man affected to comply, by posting his back against the logs of the
block-house, in a half-recumbent posture, thouglh
resolutely determined, in his own mind, not to
close an eye until le had delivered his precious
charge into the arms of M'unro himself. Hawkeye, believing he had prevailed, soon fell asleep,
and a silence as deep as the solitude in which they
had found it, pervaded the retired spot.
For many minutes Duncan succeeded in keeping his senses on the alert, and alive to every
moaning sound that arose from  the forest.  His
vision became more acute, as the shades of evening settled on the place, and even after the stars
were glimmering above his head, he was able
to distinguish the recumbent forms of his companions, as they lay stretched on the grass, and to note
the person of Chingachgook, who sat upright, and
motionless as one of the trees, which formed the
dark barrier on every side of them. He still heard
the gentle breathings of the sisters, who lay within a few feet of him, and not a leaf was ruffled by
the passing air, of which his ear did not detect
the whispering sound.  At length, however, the
mournful notes of a whip-poor-will, became blended with the moanings of an owl: his heavy eyes
occasionally sought the bright rays of the stars,
and then he fancied he saw them through the fallen
lids. At instants of momentary wakefulness, he
mistook a bush for his associate sentinel; his head
next sunk upon his shoulder, which,.n its turn,




THE MOHICANS.              187
sought the support of the ground; and, finally, his
whole person became relaxed and pliant, and the
young man sunk into a deep sleep, dreaming that
he was a knight of ancient chivalry, holding his
midnight vigils before the tent of a re-captured
princess, whose favour he did not despair of gain
ug, by such a proof of devotion and watchfulness.
How long the tired Duncan lay in this insensible
slate he never knew himself, but his slumbering
visions had been long lost in total forgetfulness,
when he was awakened by a light tap on the
shoulder.   Xroused by this signal, slight as it
was, he sprang upon his feet, with a confused recollection of the self-imposed duty he had assumed
with the commencement of the night"Who comes?" he demanded, feeling for hi,
sword, at the place where it was usually suspended.  "Speak! friend or enemy?"
"Friend," replied the low voice of Chingachgook; who, pointing upward at the luminary
which was shedding its mild light through the
opening in the trees, directly on their bivouac,
immediately added, in his rude English, " moon
comes, and white man's fort far-far off; time to
move; when sleep shuts both eyes of the Frenchman "
" Yo say true! call up your firiends, and bridle
the horses, while I prepare my own companions
for the march."
" We are awake, Duncan," said the soft, silvery
tones of Alice within the building, " and ready to
travel very fast, after so refreshing a sleep; but
)0ou have watched through the tedious night, in
our behalf. after having endured so much iatigue
the livelong day!"
"Say, rather, I would have watched, but my




188             THE LAST OF
treacherous eyes betrayed me; twice have I proved
myself unfit for the trust I bear."
"Nay, Duncan, deny it not," interrupted the
smiling Alice, issuing from the shadows of the
building into the light of the moon, in all the
loveliness of her freshened beauty; "I know you
to be a heedless one, when self is the object of
your care, and but too vigilant in favour of others.
Can we not tarry here a little longer, while you
find the rest you need.  Cheerfully, most cheerfully, will Cora and I keep the vigils, while you,
and all these brave men, endeavour to snatch a
little sleep!"
"If shame could cure me of my drowsiness, I
should never close an eye again," said the uneasy
youth, gazing at the ingenuous countenance of
Alice, where, however, in its sweet solicitude, he
read nothing to confirm his half awakened suspicion. " It is but too true, that after leading you
into danger by my heedlessness, I have not even
the merit of guarding your pillows, as should become a soldier."
" No one but Duncan himself, should accuse
Duncan of such a weakness!" returned the confiding Alice; who lent herself, with all a woman's
confidence to that generous delusion which painted the perfection of her youthful admirer. " Go,
then, and sleep; believe me, neither of us, weak
girls as we are, will betray our watch."
The young man was relievtd from the awkwardness of making any further protestations of
his own demerits, by an exclamation from Chingachgook, and the attitude of riveted attention assumed by his son.
" The Mohicans hear an enemy!" whispered
Hawk-eye, who, by this time, in common with




THE MOHICANS.              189
the whole party, was awake and stirring  "They
scent some danger in the wind!"
"God forbid!" exclaimed Hey.vard. " Surely,
we have had enough of bloodshed!"
While he spoke, however, the young soldier
seized his rifle, and advancing towards the front,
prepared to atone for his venial remissness, by
freely exposing his life in defence of those he at
tended.
"'Tis some creature of the forest prowling
around us in quest of food!" he said, in a whisper,
as soon as the low, and, apparently, distant sounds,
which had startled the Mohicans, reached his own
ears.
"Hist!" returned the attentive scout; "'tis
man; even I can now tell his tread, poor as my
senses are, when compared to an Indian's! That
scampering Huron has fallen in with one of Montcalm's outlying parties, and they have struck upon
our trail. I shouldn't like myself to spill more
human blood in this spot," he added, looking
around with anxiety in his features, at the dim
objects by which he was surrounded; "but what
must be, must! Lead the horses into the blockhouse, Uncas; and, friends, do you follow to the
same shelter.  Poor and old as it is, it offers a
cover, and has rung with the crack of a rifle afore
to-night!"
He was instantly obeyed, the Mohicans leading the Narragansets within the ruin, whither the
whole party repaired, with the most guarded silence.
The sounds of approaching footsteps was now
too distinctly audible, to leave any doubts as to the
nature of the interruption. They were soon mingled with voices, calling to each other, In an In.
dian dialect, which the hunter, in a whisper, affirm




190             THE LAST OF
ed to Heyward, was the language of the Hurons.
When the party reached the point where the horses
had entered the thicket which surrounded the
block-house, they were evidently at fault, having
lost those marks which, until that moment, had
directed their pursuit.
It would seem by the voices that twenty men
were soon collected at that one spot, mingling
their different opinions and advice, in noisy clamour.
" Tne knaves know our weakness," whispered
Hawk-eye, who stood by the side of Heyward, in
deep shade, looking through an opening in the
logs, "or they wouldn't indulge their idleness in
such a squaw's march.  Listen to the reptiles!
each man among them seems to have two tongues,
and but a single leg!"
Duncan, brave, and even fierce as he sometimes
was in the combat, could not, in such a moment of
painful suspense, make any reply to the cool and.haracteristic remark of the scout. He only grasped his rifle more firmly, and fastened his eyes
upon the narrow opening, through which he gazed
upon the moonlight view with increasing intenseness. The deeper tones of one who spoke as having authority, were next heard, amid a silence that
denoted the respect with which his orders, or
rather advice, was received.  After which, by the
rustling of leaves, and cracking of dried twigs, it
was apparent the savages were separating in pursuit of the lost trail.  Fortunately for the pursued,
the light of the moon, while it shed a flood of
mild lustre, upon the little area around the ruin,
was not sufficiently strong to penetrate the deep
arches of the forest, where the oblects still lay in
dim and deceptive shadow.  The search proved
fruitless; for so short and sudden had been the




THE MOHICANS                 91&
passage from  the faint path the travellers hau
journeyed into the thicket, that every trace of
their footsteps was lost in the obscurity of the
woods.
It was not long, however, before the restless savages were heard beating the brush, and gradually
approaching the inner edge of that dense border of
young chestnuts, which encircled the little area.
"They are coming!" muttered Heyward, endeavouring to thrust his rifle through the chink in
the logs; " let us fire on their approach!"
Keep every thing in the shade," returned the
scout; " the snapping of a flint, or even the smell
of a single karnel of the brimstone, would bring
the hungry varlets upon us in a body.  Should it
please God, that we must give battle for the scalps,
trust to the experience of men who know  the
ways of the savages, and who are not often backward when the war-whoop is howled."
Duncan cast his eyes anxiously behind him, an.l
saw that the trembling sisters were cowering in
the far corner of the building, while the Mohicans
stood in the shadow, like two upright posts, ready,
and apparently willing, to strike, when the blow
should be needed.  Curbing his impatience, he
again looked out upon the area, and awaited the
result in silence.  At that instant the thicket
opened, and a tall and armed Huron advanced a
few paces into the open space. As he gazed upon
the silent block-house, the moon fell full upon his
swarthy countenance, and betrayed its surprise
and curiosity. He made the exclamation, which
usually accompanies the former emotion in an Indian, and calling in a low voice, soon drew a companion to his side.
These children of the woods stood together for
several moments, pointing at the crumbling edifice,




9I   TIE LAST OF
and conversing in the unintelligible language of
their tribe. They then approached, though with
slow and cautious steps, pausing every instant to
look at the building, like startled deer, whose curiosity struggled powerfully with their awakened
apprehensions for the mastery.  The foot of one
of them  suddenly rested on the mound, and he
stooped to examine its nature.  At this moment,
Heyward observed that the scout loosened his
knife in its sheath, and lowered the muzzle of his
rifle.  Imitating these movements, the young man
prepared himself for the struggle, which now
seemed inevitable.
The savages were so near, that the least motion
in one of the horses, or even a breath louder than
common, would have betrayed the fugitives. But,
in discovering the character of the mound, the attention of the Hurons appeared directed to a different object.  They spoke together, and the
sounds of their voices were low and solemn, as if
influenced by a reverence that was deeply blended
with awe.  Then they drew warily back, keeping
their eyes riveted on the ruin, as if they expected to see the apparitions of the dead issue from its
silent walls, until having reached the boundary of
the area, they moved slowly into the thicket, and
disappeared.
Hawk-eye dropped the breech of his rifle to the
earth, and drawing a long, free breath, exclaimed
In an audible whisper"Ay! they respect the dead, and it has this
time saved their own lives, and it may be, the
lives of better men too!"
Heyward lent his attention, for a single moment, to his companion, but without replying, he
again turned towards those who just then interested him more.  He heard the two Hurons leave




THE MOHICANS.               193
the bushes, and it was soon plain that all the pursuers were gathered about them, in deep attention
to their report. After a few minutes of earnest
and solemn dialogue, altogether different from the
noisy clamour with which they had first collected
about the spot, the sounds grew fainter, and mo:e
distant, and finally were lost in the depths of tie
forest.
Hawk-eye waited until a signal from the listening Chingachgook assured him, that every sound
from the retiring party was completely swallowed
by the distance, when he motioned to Heyward
to lead forth the horses, and to assist the sisters
into their saddles. The instant this was done,
they issued through the broken gate-way, and
stealing out by a direction opposite to the one by
which they had entered, they quitted the spot, the
sisters casting furtive glances at the silent grave
and crumbling ruin, as they left the soft light of
the moon, to bury themselves in the deep gloom
of the woods.
CHAPTER XIV.
" Guard.-Qui est la?
Puc.-Paisans, pauvres gens de France."
King Henry V1.
DURING the rapid movement from the block
house, and until the party was deeply buried in
the forest, each individual was too much interested in their escape, to hazard a word even in whispers.  The scout resumed his post in the advance,
though his steps, after he had thrown a safe distance between himself and his enemies, were
R




194              THE LAST OF
more deliberate than in their previous march, in
consequence of his utter ignorance of the localities of the surrounding woods.  More than once
he halted to consult with his confederates, the Mohicans, pointing upwards at the moon, and examining the barks of the trees with extraordinary care.
In these brief pauses, Heyward and the sisters
listened, with senses rendered doubly acute by
their danger, to detect any symptoms which might
announce the proximity of their foes. At such
moments, it seemed as if a vast range of country
lay buried in eternal sleep; not the least sound
arising from the forest, unless it was the distant
and scarcely audible rippling of a water-course.
Birds, beasts, and man, appeared to slumber alike,
if, indeed, any of the latter were to be found in
that wide tract of wilderness. But the sounds of
the rivulet, feeble and murmuring as they were,
relieved the guides at once from no trifling embarrassment, and towards it they immediately held
their silent and diligent way.
When the banks of the little stream were gain..
ed, Hawk-eye made another halt; and, taking the
moccasins from his feet, he invited Heyward and
Gamut to follow his example.  He then entered
the water and for near an hour they travelled in
the bed of the brook, leaving no dangerous trail
The moon had already sunk into an immense pile
of black clouds, which lay impending above the
western horizon, when they issued from the low
and devious water-course to rise, again, to the light
and level of the sandy but wooded plain. Here
the scout seemed to be once more at home, for he
held on his way, with the certainty and diligence
of a man, who moved in the security of his own
knowledge.  The path soon became more uneven,
and the travellers could plainly perceive, that the




THE MOHICANS.             195
mountains drew nigher to them on each hand, and
that they were, in truth. about entering one of
their widest gorges.  Suddenly, Hawk-eye made
a pause, and waiting until he was joined by the
whole party, he spoke; though in tones so low
and cautious, that they added to the solemnity of
his words, in the quiet and darkness of the place.
" It is easy to know the path-ways, and to find
the licks and water-courses of the wilderness," he
said;'4but who that saw this spot, could venture
to say, that a mighty army was at rest among
yonder silent trees and barren mountains!"
" We are then at no great distance from William
Henry?" said Heyward, advancing, with interest,
nigher to the scout.
" It is yet a long and weary path," was the answer, "and when and where to strike it, is now
our greatest difficulty.  See," he said, pointing
through the trees towards a spot where a little
basin of water reflected the bright stars from its
still and placid bosom, "here is the'bloody pond;'
and I am on ground that I have not only often
travelled, but over which I have fou't the enemy,
from the rising to the setting sun!"
" Ha! that sheet of dull and dreary water, then,
is the sepulchre of the brave men who fell in the
contest! I have heard it named, but never have I
stood on its banks before!"
" Ttree battles did we make with the Dutch
Frenchman in a day!" continued Hawk-eye, pursuing the train of his own thoughts, rather than
replying to the remark of Duncan.  " He met us
hard by, in our outward march to ambush his advance, and scattered us, like driven deer, through
the defile, to the shores of Horican. Then we
rallied behind our fallen trees, and made head
against him, under Sir William- who was made




l9f6             THE LAST O'
Sir William for that very deed; and well did we
pay him for the disgrace of the morning! Hundreds of Frenchmen saw the sun that day for the
last time; and even their leader, Dieskau himself
fell into our hands, so cut and torn with the lead,
that he has gone back to his own country, unfit for
further acts in war."
"'Twas a noble repulse!" exclaimed Heyward
in the heat of his youthful ardour; " the fame of
it reached us early in our southern army."
" Ay! but it did not end there. I was sent by
Major Effingham, at Sir William's own bidding,
to out-flank the French, and carry the tidings of
their disaster across the portage, to the fort on the
Hudson. Just hereaway, where you see the trees
rise into a mountain swell, I met a party coming
down to our aid, and I led them where the enemy
were taking their meal, little dreaming that they
had not finished the bloody work of the day."
" And you surprised them!"
" If death can be a surprise to men who are
thinking only of the cravings of their appetites! we
gave them but little breathing time, for they had
borne hard upon us in the fight of the morning,
and there were few in our party who had not lost
friend or relative by their hands. When all was
over, the dead, and some say the dying, were cast
into that little pond.  These eyes have seen its
waters coloured with blood, as natural water never
yet flowed from the bowels of the'arth."
" It was a convenient, and, I trust, will prove a
peaceful grave for a soldier! You have, then, seen
much service on this frontier?"
"I!" said the scout, erecting his tall person
with an air of military pride; " there are not many
echoes among these hills that haven't rung with
the crack of my rifle, nor is there the space of a




THE MOHICANS.              197
square mile atwixt Horican and the river, that'kill-deer' hasn't dropped a living body on, be it
an enemy, or be it a brute beast. As for the grave
there, being as quiet as you mention, it is another
matter.  There are them  in the camp, who say
and think, man to lie still, should not be buried
while the breath is in the body; and certain it is,
that in.the hurry of that evening, the doctors had
but little time to say who was living, and who
was dead.  Hist! see you nothing, now, walking
on the shore of the pond?"
"'Tis not probable that any are as houseless as
ourselves, in this dreary forest."
" Such as he may care but little for house ox
shelter, and night dew can never wet a body that
passes its days in the water!" returned the scout,
grasping the shoulder of Heyward, with such con.
vulsive strength, as to make the young soldiel
painfully sensible how much superstitious terror
had gotten the mastery of a man, who was usually'so dauntless.
" By heaven! there is a human form, and it approaches! stand to your arms, my friends, for we
know not whom we encounter."
" Qui vive?" demanded a stern and deep voice.
which sounded like a challenge from another world,
issuing out of that solitary and solemn place.
"What says it?" whispered the scout; " it
speaks neither Indian nor English!"
"Qui vive?" repeated the same voice, which
was quickly followed by the rattling of arms, and
a menacing attitude.
"France," cried Heyward, advancing from the
shadow of the trees, to the shore of the pond,
within a few yards of the sentinel.
c D'oo venez-vous —ot allez-vous d'aussi bonne
R2




198              THE LAST OF
heure?" demanded the grenadier, in the language,
and with the accent of a man from old France.
"Je viens de la decouverte, et je vais me coucher.
" Etes-vous officier du roi?"
" Sans doute, mon camarade; me prends-tu pour
un provincial! Je suis capitaine de chasseurs (Heyward well knew that the other was of a regiment
in the line)-j'ai ici, avec moi, les filles du commandant de la fortification. Aha! tu en as entendu
parler! je les ai fait prisonnieres prls de l'autre
fort, et je les conduis au g6neral. "
"Ma foi! mesdames; j'qi suis fache pour vous,"
exclaimed the young soldier, touching his cap with
studious politeness, and no little grace; " maisfortune de guerre! vous trouverez notre gen6ral
un brave homme, et bien poll avec les dames."
" C'est le caractere des gens de guerre," said
Cora, with admirable self-possession; "Adieu, mon
ami; je vous souhaiterais un devoir plus agreable,
Aremplir."
The soldier made a low and humble acknow
ledgment for her civility; and Heyward adding,
" a bonne nuit, mon camarade,' they moved deliberately forward; leaving the sentinel pacing along
the banks of the silent pond, little suspecting an
enemy of so much effrontery, and humming to
himself those words which were recalled to his
mind by the sight of women, and, peihaps, by
recollections of his own distant and beautiful
France" Vive le vin, vive l'amour," &c. &c.
"'Tis well you understood the knave!" whis.
pered the scout, when they had gained a little
distance from the place, and letting his rifle fall
into the hollow of his arm  again; "I soon saw




THE MOHICANS.               199
that he was one of them uneasy Frenchers, and
well for him it was, that his speech was friendly,
and his wishes kind; or a place might have been
found for his bones amongst those of his country
men.'
lie was interrupted by a long and heavy groan
which arose from the little basin, as though, in
truth, the spirits of the departed lingered about
their watery sepulchre.
" Surely it was of flesh!" continued the scout;
~ no spirit could handle its arms so steadily!"
" It was of flesh, but whether the poor fellow
still belongs to this world, may well be doubted,"
said Heyward, glancing his eyes quickly around
him, and missing Chingachgook from  their little
band. Another groan, more faint than the former,
was succeeded by a heavy and sullen plunge into
the water, and all was as still again, as if the borders of the dreary pool had never been awakened
from the silence of creation. While they yet hesitated in an uncertainty, that each moment served
to render more painful, the form of the Indian was
seen gliding out of the thicket, and rejoined them,
while with one hand he attached the reeking scalp
of the unfortunate young Frenchman to his girdle,
and with the other he replaced the knife and tomahawk that had drank his blood.  He then took
nis wonted station, a iit:le on one flank, with the
satisfied air of a man who believed he had done a
deed of merit.
The scout dropped one end of his rifle to the
earth, and leaning his hands on the other, he stood
musing a moment in profound silence.  Then
shaking his head in a mournful manner, he muttered —
"'"would have been a cruel and an unhuman
act for a white-skin; but'tis the gift and natur of




200              THE LAST OP
an Indian and I suppose it should not be denied,
I could wish, though, it had befallen an accursed
AMingo, rather than that gay, young boy, from the
old countries!"
"Enough!" said Heyward, apprehensive the
unconscious sisters might comprehend the nature
of the detention, and conquering his disgust by a
train of reflections very much like that of the
hunter; "'tis done, and though better it were left
undone, cannot be amended. You see we are, too
obviously, within the sentinels of the enemy; what
course do you propose to follow?"
<C Yes," said Hawk-eye, rousing himself again,
"'tb, as you say, too late to harbour further
thoughts about it! Ay, the French have gathered
around the fort in good earnest, and we have a
delicate needle to thread in passing them."
And but little time to do it in," added Heyward; glancing his eyes upward, towards the bank
of vapour that concealed the setting moon.
"And little time to do it in!" repeated the
scout. " The thing may be done in two fashions,
by the help of Providence, without which it may
not be done at all!"
" Name them quickly, for time presses."
" One would be, to dismount the gentle ones,
and let their beasts range the plain; by sending
the Mohicans in front, we might then cut a lane
through their sentries, and enter the fort ovei the
dead bodies."
"It will not do-it will not do!" interrupted
the generous Heyward; "a soldier might force
his way in this manner, but never with such a
convoy. 
"'Twould be, indeed, a bloody path for such
tender feet to wade in!" returned the equally reluctant scout, ( but I thought it befitting my man.




THE MOHICANS.              201
noon to name the thing.  We must then turn on
our trail, and get without the line of their lookouts, when we will bend short to the west, and
enter the mountains; where I can hide you, so
that all the devil's hounds in Montcalm's pay.
would be thr)ovn off the scent, for months to
come. "
" Let it be done," returned the impatient young
man, "and that instantly."
Further words were unnecessary; for Hawkeye, merely uttering the mandate to "follow,"
moved along the route, by- which they had just
entered their present, critical, and even dangerous
situation.  Their progress, like their late dialogue,
was guarded, and without noise; for none knew
at what moment'a passing patrol, or a crouching
picquet, of the enemy, might rise upon their path.
As they held their silent way along the margin of
the pond, again, Heyward and the scout stole furtive glances at its appalling dreariness.  They
looked in vain for the form they had so recently
seen stalking along its silent shores, while a low
and regular wash of the little waves, by announcing that the waters were not yet subsided, furnished a frightful memorial of the deed of blood
they had just witnessed. Like all that passing
and gloomy scene, the low basin, however, quickly melted in the darkness, and became blended
with the mass of black objects in the rear of the
active travellers.
Hawk-eye soon deviated from the line of their
retreat, and striking off towards the mountains
which form the western boundary of the narrow
plain, he led his followers, with swift steps, deep
within the dense shadows, that were cast from theil
high and broken summits.  Their route was now
painful; lying over ground ragged with rocks, and




202              THE LAST OF
intersected with ravines, and their progress pro,
portionately slow. Bleak and black hills lay on
every side of them, compensating, in some degree,
for the additional toil of the march, by the sense
of security they imparted.  At length the party
began slowly to rise a steep and rugged ascent, by
a path that curiously wound among rocks and
trees, avoiding the one, and supported by the other,
in a manner that showed it had been devised by
men long practised in the arts of the wilderness.
As they gradually rose from the level of the valleys, the thick darkness which usually precedes
the approach of day, began to disperse, and objects were seen in the plain and, palpable colours
with which they had been gifted  by nature.
When they issued from the stinted woods which
clung to the barren sides of the mountain, upon a
flat and mossy rock, that formed its summit, they
met the morning, as it came blushing above the
green pines of a hill, that lay on the opposite side
of the valley of the Horican.
The scout now told the sisters to dismount, and
taking the bridles fiom the mouths and the saddles
off the backs of the jaded beasts, he turned them
loose, to glean a scanty subsistence, among the
shrubs and meagre herbage of that elevated region.
"Go," he said, "and seek your food where natur gives it you; and beware that you become not
food to ravenous wolves yourselves, among these
hills."
" Have we no further need of them?" demanded Heyward.
" See, and judge with your own eyes," said the
scout, advancing towards the eastern brow of the
mountain, whither he beckoned for the whole
party to follow; " if it was as easy to look into
the heart of man, as it is to spy out the nakedness




THiE MOHICANS.              203
of Montcalm's camp from  this spot, hypocrites
would grow scarce, and the -cunning of a Mingo
might prove a losing game, compared to the honesty of a Delaware."
When the travellers had reached the verge ol
the precipice, they saw, at a glance, the truth of
the scout's declaration, and the admirable foresight
with which he had led them to their commanding
station.
The mountain on which they stood, elevated
perhaps a thousand feet inthe air, was a high cone,
that rose a little in advance of that range which
reached for miles along the western shores of the
lake, until meeting its sister piles, beyond the
water, it ran off far towards the Canadas, in confused and broken masses of rock, which were
thinly sprinkled with evergreens. Immediately
at the feet of the party, the southern shore of the
Horican swept in a broad semi-circle, from mountain to mountain, marking a wide strand, that soon
rose into an uneven and somewhat elevated plain.
To the north, stretched the limpid, and, as it appeared from that dizzy height, the narrow sheet
of the "holy lake," indented with numberless
bays, embellished by fantastic head-lands, and dotted %with countless islands.  At the distance of a
few leagues, the bed of the waters became lost
among mountains, or was wrapped in the masses
of vapour, that came slowly rolling along their
bosom, before a light morning air. But a narrow
opening between the crests of the hills, pointed
out the passage by which they found their way
still farther north, to spread their pure and ample
sheets again, before pouring out their tribute into
the distant Champlain.  To the south stretched
the defile, or, rather, broken plain, so often mentioned.  For several miles, in this direction, the




204              THE LAST OF
mountains appeared reluctant to yield theil do
minion, but within i.each of the eye they diverged,
and finally melted into the level and sandy lands,
across which we have accompanied our adventurers in their double journey. Along both ranges
of hills, which bounded the opposite sides of the
lake and valley, clouds of light vapour were rising
in spiral wreaths from the uninhabited woods,
looking like the smokes of hidden cottages, or
rolled lazily down the declivities, to mingle with
the fogs of the lower land.  A single, solitary,
snow-white cloud, floated above the valley, and
marked the spot, beneath which lay the silent
pool of the'bloody pond.'
Directly on the shore of the lake, and nearer
to its western than to its eastern margin, lay the
extensive earthen ramparts and low buildings of
William  Henry.  Two of the sweeping bastions
appeared to rest on the water, which washed their
bases, while a deep ditch and extensive morasses
guarded its other sides and angles.  The land had
been cleared of wood for a reasonable distance
around the' work, but every other part of the
scene lay in the green livery of nature, except
where the limpid water mellowed the view, or the
bold rocks thrust their black and naked heads
above the undulating outlines of the- mounta;n
ranges.  In its front, might be seen the scattered
sentinels, who held a weary watch against their
numerous foes; and within the walls themselves,
the travellers looked down upon men still drowsy
with a night of vigilance. Towards the southeast, but in immediate contact with the fort, was
an entrenched camp, posted on a rocky eminence,
that would have been far more eligible for the
work itself, in which Hawk-eye pointed out *he
presence of those auxiliary regimen:ts that had so




THE MOHICANS.              205
recently left the Hudson, in their con ipany. From
the woods, a little farther to the south, rose numerous dark and lurid smokes, that were easily to
be distinguished from the purer exhalations of the
prings, and which the scout also showed to Heyward, as evidences that the enemy lay in force in
that direction.
But the spectacle which most concerned the
young soldier, was on the western bank of the
lake, though quite near to its southern termination.
On a stripe of land, which appeared, from his
stand, too narrow to contain such an army, but
which, in  truth, extended many hundreds of
yards from the shores of the Horican to the base
of the mountain, were to be seen the white tents
and military engines for an encampment of ten
thousand men.  Batteries were already thrown
up in their front, and even while the spectators
above them were looking down, with such different emotions, on a scene, which lay like a map
beneath their feet, the roar of artillery rose from
out the valley, and passed off, in thundering
echoes, along the eastern hills.
" Morning isjust touching them below," said the
deliberate and musing scout, " and the watchers
have a mind to wake up the sleepers by the sound
of cannon.  We are a few hours too late! Montcalm  has already filled the woods with his accursed Iroquois."
"The place is, indeed, invested," returned
Duncan; " but is there no expedient by which we
may enter? capture in the works would be far
preferable to falling, again, into the hands of
roving Indians."
"See!" exclaimed the scout, unconsciously directing the attention of Cora to the quarters of her
own father. "how that shot has ma&e the stones
S




206              THE LAST OF
fly from the side of the commandant's house
Ay! these Frenchers will pull it to pieces faster
than it was put together, solid and thick though
it be!"
" Heyward, I sicken at the'sight of danger, that
I cannot share," said the undaunted but anxious
daughter. " Let us go to Montcalm, and demand
admission; he dare not deny a child the boon!"
"' You would scarce find the tent of the Frenchman with the hair on your head!" said the blunt
scout.  " If I had but one of the thousand boats
which lie empty along that shore, it might be
done. Ha! here will soon be an end of the firing,
for yonder comes a fog that will turn day to night,
and make an Indian arrow more dangerous than a
moulded cannon.  Now, if you are equal to the
work, and will follow, I will make a push; for I
long to get down into that camp, if it be only to
scatter some Mingo dogs, that I see lurking in the
skirts of yonder thicket of birch."
" We are equal!" said Cora, firmly; " on such
an errand we will follow to any danger!"
The scout turned to her with a smile of honest
and cordial approbation, as he answered" I would I had a thousand men, of brawny
limbs and quick eyes, that feared death as little as
you! I'd send them jabbering Frenchers back into
their den again, afore the week was ended, howl
ing like so many fettered hounds, or hungry
wolves. But stir," he added, turning from hei
to the rest of the party, " the fog comes rolling
down so fast, we shall have but just the time to
meet it on the plain, and use it as a cover. Remember, if any accident should befall me, to keep
the air blowing on your left cheeks-or, ratuer,
follow the Mohicans; they'd scent their way, be
it in day, or he it at night."




THE MOHICANS.              207
lie then waved his hand for them to follow, and
threw himself down the steep declivity, with free
but careful footsteps. Heyward assisted the sisters
to descend, and in a few minutes they were all far
down a mountain, whose sides they had climbed
with so much toil and pain.
The direction taken by Hawk-eye soon brought
the travellers to the level of the plain, nearly opposite to a sally-port, in the western curtain of the
fort, which lay, itself, at the distance of about half
a mile fiom  the point where he halted, to allow
Duncan to come up with his charge.  In their
eagerness, and favoured by the nature of the
ground, they had anticipated the fog, which was
rolling heavily down the lake, and it became necessary to pause, until the mists had wrapped the
camp of the enemy in their fleecy mantle. The
Mohicans profited by the delay, to steal out of the
woods, and to make a survey of surrounding objects. They were followed, at a little distance, by
the scout, with a view to profit early by their report, and to obtain some faint knowledge for himself of the more immediate localities.
In a very few moments he returned, his face
reddened with vexation, while he muttered forth
his disappointment in words of no very gentle
import.
"Here, has the cunning Frenchman been posting a picqt et directly in our path," he said; "redskins and whites; and we shall be as likely to fall
into their midst, as to pass them in the fog!"
" Cannot we make a circuit to avoid the danger," asked Heyward, "and come into our path
again when it is past?"
"Who that once bends from  the line of his
march, in a fog, can tell when or how to turn to
find it again! The mists of tiorican are not like




208              THE LAST OF
the curls from a peace-pipe, or the smoke which
settles above a mosquetoe fire!"
He was yet speaking, when a crashing sound
was heard, and a cannon ball entered the thicket,
striking the body of a sapling, and rebounding to
the earth, its force being much expended by previous resistance. The Indians followed instantly
like busy attendants on the terrible messenger,
and Uncas commenced speaking earnestly, and
with much action, in the Delaware tongue.
" It may be so, lad," muttered the scout, when
he had ended; " for desperate fevers are not to be
treated like a tooth-ache.  Come, then, the fog is
shutting in."
" Stop!" cried Heyward; "first explain your
expectations."
"'Tis soon done, and a small hope it is; but
then it is better than nothing.  This shot that you
see," added the scout, kicking the harmless iron
with his foot, " has ploughed the'arth in its road
from the fort, and we shall hunt for the furrow it
has made, when all other signs may fail. No more
words, but follow; or the fog may leave us in the
middle of our path, a mark for both armies to
shoot at."
Heyward perceiving that, in fact, a crisis had
arrived, when acts were more  required  than
words, placed hrmself between the sisters, and
drew  them  swiftly forward, keep.ng the dim
figure of their leader in his eye.  It was soon ap.
parent that Hawk-eye had not magnified the power
of the fog, for before they had proceeded twenty
yards, it was difficult for the different individuals
of the party to distinguish each other, in the vapour.
They had made their little circuit to the left,
and were already inclining again towards the right,




THE MOHICANS.              209
having, as Heyward thought, got over nearly half
the distance to the friendly works, when his ears
were saluted with the fierce summons, apparently
within twenty feet of them, of"Qui va l?"
"Push on!" whispered the scout, once more
nending to the left.
"Push on!" repeated Heyward; when the
summons was renewed by a dozen voices, each of
which seemed charged with threatening menaces
" C'est moi," cried Duncan, dragging, rather
than leading, those he supported, swiftly, onward.
" Bete! qui? moi!"
-" Un ami de la France."
" Tu m'as plus l'air d'un ennerni de la France,
arrete! ou pardieu je te ferai ami du diable.
Non! feu; camarades; feu!"
The order was instantly obeyed, and the fog was
stirred by the explosion of fifty muskets. Happily,
the aim was bad, and the bullets cut the air in a
direction a little different fiom that taken by the
fugitives; though still so nigh them, that to the
unpractised ears of David and the two maidens, it
appeared as if they whistled within a few inches
of the organs.  The outcry was renewed, and the
order, not only to fire again, but to pursue, was
too plainly audible.  When Heyward briefly explained the meaning of the words they heard,
lawk-eye halted, and spoke with quick decision
and great firmness.
" Let us deliver our fire," he said;  they will
believe it a sortie, and give way; or will wait for
reinforcements."
The scheme was well conceived, but failed in
its effect.  The instant the French heard their
pieces, it seemed as if the plain was alive with
men, muskets rattling along its whole extent, from
S 2




210              THE LAST OF
the shores of the lake to the farthest boundary of
the woods.
" We shall draw their entire army upon us, and
bring on a general assault," said Duncan. " Lead
on, my friend, for your own life, and ours!"
The scout seemed willing to comply; but, in
the hurry of the moment, and in the change of
position, he had lost the direction.  In vain he
turned either cheek towards the light air; they
felt equally cool.  In this dilemma, Uncas lighted
on the furrow of the cannon ball, where it had cut
the ground in three little, adjacent, ant-hills.
" Give me the ranga!" said Hawk-eye, bending
to catch a glimpse of the direction, and then instantly moving onward.
Cries, oaths, voices calling to each other, and
the reports of muskets, were now quick and incessant, and, apparently, on every side of them. Suddenly, a strong glare of light flashed across the
scene, the fog rolled upward in thick wreaths,
and several cannon belched across the plain, and
the roar was thrown heavily back from the bellow
ing echoes of the mountain.
"''ris from the fort!" exclaimed Hawk-eye,
turning short on his tracks; "and we, like stricken fools, were rushing to the woods, under the
very knives of the Maquas."
The instant their mistake was rectified, the
whole party retraced the error with the utmost
diligence.  Duncan  willingly  relinquished  the
support of Cora to the offered arm of Uncas, and
Cora as readily accepted the welcome assistance.
Men, hot and angry in the pursuit, were evidently on their footsteps, and each instant threatened
their capture, if not their destruction.
"Point de quartier, aux coquins!" cried an




THE MOHICANS               211
eager pursuer, who seemed to direct the operations of the enemy.
" Stand firm, and be ready, my gallant 60ths!"
suddenly exclaimed a voice above them, in the
deep tones of authority; "wait to see the enemy,
fire low, and sweep the glacis."
"Father! father!" exclaimed a piercing female
cry from out the mist; "it is I! A!ee! thy own
Elsie! spare, oh! save, your daughters.
" Hold!" shouted the former speaker, in the
awful tones of parental agony, the sound reaching
even to the woods, and rolling back in solemn
echo. "'Tis she! God has restored me my children!  Throw open the sally-port; to the field,
60ths, to the field; pull not a trigger, lest ye kill
my lambs! Drive off these dogs of France with
your steel."
Duncan heard the grating of the rusty hinges,
and darting to the spot, directed by the sound, he
met a long line of dark-red warriors, passing swiftly towards the glacis.  He knew them  for his
own battalion of the royal Americans, and flying
to their head, soon swept every trace of his pulsuers fiom before the works.
For an instant, Cora and Alice had stood trembling and bewildered by this unexpected desertion; but, before either had leisure for speech, or
even thought, an officer of gigantic frame, whose
locks were bleached with years and service, but
whose air of military grandeur had been rather
scftened than destroyed by time, rushed out of
the body of the mist, and folded them to his bosom,
while large, scalding tears rolled down his pale
and wrinkled cheeks, and he exclaimed, in the
peculiar accent of Scotland" For this I thank thee, Lord! Let danger come
as it will, thy servant is prepared "




CHAPTER XV.
i Then go we in, to know his embassy;
Which I could, with a ready guess, declare,
Before the Frenchman speak a word of it."
King Henry V.
THE few succeeding days were passed amid all
the privations, the uproar, and the dangers of the
siege, which was vigorously pressed by a power,
against whose approaches Munro possessed no
competent means of resistance.  It appeared as if
Webb, with his army, which lay slumbering on
the banks of the Hudson, had utterly forgotten the
strait to which his brethren were reduced. Montcalm had filled the woods of the portage with his
savages, every yell and whoop from  whom  rang
through the British encampment, chilling the
hearts of men, who were already but too much
disposed to magnify the danger, with additional
terror.
Not so, however, with the besieged. Animated
by the words, and stimulated by the examples of
their leaders, they had found their courage, and
maintained their ancient reputation, with a zeal
that did justice to the stern character of their commander. As if satisfied with the toil of marching
through the wilderness to encounter his enemy,
the French general, through-of approved skill,
had neglected to seize the adjacent mountains;
whence the besieged might have been exterminated with impunity, and which, in the more
modern warfare of the country, would not have
been neglected for a single hour.  This sort (f
contempt for eminences, or rather dread of the la
oour of ascending them, might have been teimelt




THE MOHICANS.              213
the besetting weakness of the warfare of the period. It originated in the simplicity of the Indian
contests, in which, from the nature of the combats,
and the density of the forests, fortresses were rare,
and artillery next to useless. The carelessness
engendered by these usages, descended even to
the war of the revolution, and lost the states the
important fortress of Ticonderoga, opening a way
for the army of Burgoyne, into what was then the
bosom of the country.  We look back at this ignorance, or infatuation, which ever it may be called, with astonishment, knowing that the neglect
of an eminence, whose difficulties, like those of
Mount Defiance, had been so greatly exaggerated,
would, at the present time, prove fatal to the re
putation of the engineer who had planned the
works at their base, or to that of the general,
whose lot it was to defend them.
The tourist, the valetudinarian, or the amateur
of the beauties of nature, who, in the train of his
four-in-hand, now  rolls through the scenes we
have attempted to describe, in quest of information, health, or pleasure, or floats steadily towards
his object on those artificial waters, which have
sprung up under the administration of a statesman,
who has dared to stake his political character on
the hazardous issue, is not to suppose that his ancestors traversed those hills, or struggled with the
same currents with equal facility.  The transportation of a single heavy gun, was often considered equal to a victory gained; if happily the
difficulties of the passage had not so far separated
it from its necessary concomitants, the ammuni
tion, as to render it no more than an useless tube
of unwieldy iron.
The evils of this state of things pressed heavily
on the fortunes of the resolute Scotsman, who now




214              THE LAST OF
defended William Henry. Though his adversary
neglected the hills, he had planted his batteries
with judgment on the plain, and caused them to
be served with vigour and skill. Against this assault, the besieged could only oppose the imperfect and hasty preparations of a fortress in the
wilderness, to whose mounds those extended sheets
of water, which stretched into the Canadas, bore
no friendly aid, while they opened the way to their
more fortunate enemies.
It was on the afternoon of the fifth day of the
siege, and the fourth of his own service in it, that
Major Heyward profited by a parley that had just
been beaten, by repairing to the ramparts of one
of the water bastions, to breathe the cool air from
the lake, and to take a survey of the progress of
the siege. He was alone, if the solitary sentinel
who paced the mound be excepted; for the artillerists had hastened also to profit by the temporary
suspension of their arduous duties. The evening
was delightfully calm, and the light air from the
limpid water fresh and soothing. It seemed as if,
with the termination to the roar of artillery, and
the plunging of shot, nature had also seized the
moment to assume her mildest and most captivating form.  The sun poured down his parting
glory on the scene, without the oppression of those
fierce rays that belong to the climate and the season. The mountains looked green, and fresh, and
lovely; tempered with the milder light, or softened in shadow, as thin vapours floated between
them and the sun.  The numerous islands rested
on the bosom  of the Horican. some low  anti
sunken, as if imbedded in the waters, and others
appearing to hover above the element, in little
hillocks of green velvet; among which the fishermen of the beleaguering army peacefully rowed




THE MOHICANS                215
their skiffs, or floated at rest on the glassy mirror.
in quiet pursuit of their game.
The scene was at once animated and still.  A'I
that pertained to nature was sweet, or simply
grand; while those parts which depended on the
temper and movements of man, were in perfect
Ulnison.
Two little spotless flags were abroad, the one
on a salient angle of the fort, and the other on the
advanced battery of the besiegers; emblems of the
truce which existed, not only to the acts, but it
would seem, also, to the enmity of the combatants.
Behind these, again, swung, heavily opening and
closing in s!Iken folds, the rival standards of England and France.
A hundred gay and thoughtless young Frenchmen were drawing a net to the pebbly beach,
within dangerous proximity to the sullen but silent
cannon of the fort, while the eastern mountain was
sending back the loud shouts and gay merriment
that attended their sport.  Some were rushing
eagerly to enjoy the aquatic games of the lake,
and others were already toiling their way up the
neighbouring hills, with the restless curiosity of
their nation.  To all these sports and- pursuits,
those of the enemy who watched the besieged, and
the besieged themselves, were, however, merely
the idle, though sympathizing spectators.  Here
and there a picquet had, indeed, raised a song, or
mingled in a dance, which had drawn the dusky
savages around them, from their lairs in the forest,
in mute astonishment. In short, every thing wore
rather the appearance of a day of pleasure, than
of an hour stolen from the dangers and toil of a
bloody and vindictive.warfare.
Duncan had stood in a musing attitude, contemplating this scene a few minutes. when his' eyes




216              THE LAST OF
were directed to the glacis in front of the sally
port, already mentioned, by the sounds- of ap.
proaching footsteps. He walked to an angle of
the bastion, and beheld the scout advancing, under
the custody of a French officer, to the body of the
fort.  The countenance of Hawk-eye was hag
gard and care-worn, and his air dejected, as though
he felt the deepest degradation at having fallen
into the power of his enemies.  He was without
his favourite weapon, and his arms were even
bound behind him with thongs, made of the skin
of a deer. The arrival of flags, to cover the messengers of summons, had occurred so often of late,
that when Heyward first threw his carless glance
on this group, he expected to see another of the
officers of the enemy, charged with a similar office;
but the instant he recognized the tall person, and
still sturdy, though downcast, features of his friend,
the woodsman, he started with surprise, and turned to descend from the bastion into the bosom of
the work.
The sounds of other voices, however, caught his
attention, and for a moment caused him to forget
his purpose. At the inner angle of the mound, he
met the sisters. walking along the parapet, in
search, like himself, of air and relief from  confinement.  They had not met since that painful
moment when he deserted them, on the plain,
only to assure their safety. He had parted from
them, worn with care, and jaded with fatigue;
he now saw them refreshed and blooming, though
still timid and anxious. Under such an induce
ment, it will cause no surprise, that the young
man lost sight, for a time, of other objects, in
order to address them.  HIe was, however, anticipated by the voice of the ardent and youthful
Alice.




THE MOHICANS.              217
"Ah! thou truant! thou recreant knight! he
who abandons his damsels in the very lists, to
abide the fortunes of the fray!" she cried, in
affected reproaches, which her beaming eyes and
extended hands so flatteringly denied.  " Here
have we been days, nay, ages, expecting you a
our feet, imploring mercy and forgetfulness o.
vour craven backsliding, or, I should rather say,
back-running-for verily you fled in a manner
that no stricken deer, as our worthy friend the
scout would say, could equal!"
"You know that Alice means our thanks and
our blessings,"  added the  graver and  more
thoughtful Cora. "In truth, we have a little wondered why you should so rigidly absent yourself
from a place, where the gratitude of the daughters
might receive the support of a parent's thanks."
"Your father himself could tell you, that
though absent from  your presence, I have not
been altogether forgetful of your safety," returned
the young man; "the mastery of yonder village
of huts," pointing to the neighbouring entrenched
camp, "has been keenly disputed; and he who
holds it, is sure to be possessed of this fort, and
that which it contains. My days and my nights
have all.been passed there, since we separated,
because I thought that duty called me thither
But," he added with an air of chagrin, which he
endeavoured, though unsuccessfully, to conceal
"had I been aware, that what I then believed a
soldier's conduct, could be so construed, shame
would have been added to the list of reasons."
"Heyward!-Duncan!" exclaimed Alice, bend
ing forward to read his half-averted countenance
until a lock of her golden hair rested in rich con
trast on her flushed cheek, and nearly concealed
the tear that haa started to her anxious eye; "did
T




215              THE LAST OF
I think this idle tongue of mine had pained you,
I would silence it for ever! Cora can say, if Cora
would, how justly we have prized your services,
and how deep-I had almost said, how ferventis our gratitude!"
And will Cora attest the truth of this?" cried.
Duncan, suffering the cloud to be chased from his
countenance by a smile of open pleasure. " What
says our graver sister? Will she find an excuse
for the neglect of the knight, in the ardour of a
soldier?"
Cora made no immediate answer, but turned her
face toward the water, as if looking on the plain
sheet of the Horican.  When she did bend her
dark eyes on the young man, they were yet filled
with an expression of anguish that at once drove
every thought but that of kind solicitude from his
mind.
" You are pot well, dearest Miss Munro!" he
exclaimed; "we have trifled, while you are in suffering!"
"'Tis nothing," she answered, gently refusing
his offered support,witl feminine reserve. " That
I cannot see the sunny side of the picture of life,
like this artless but ardent enthusiast," she added,
laying her hand lightly, but affectionately, on the
arm of her anxious sister, " is the penalty of ex
perience, and, perhaps, the misfortune of my nature.  See," she continued, with an effort, as if
determined to shake off every infirmity, in a sense
of duty;   look around you, Major Heyward,
and tell me what a prospect is this, for the Gaughter of a soldier, whose greatest happiness is his
honour and his military renown!"
" Neither ought nor shall be tarnished by cir
cumstances, over which he has had no control,"
Duncan warmly replied.  "But your words re.




THE MOHICANS.             219
call me to my own duty. I go now to your gallant father, to hear his determination in matters
of the last moment to our defence. God bless you
in every fortune, noble-Cora-I may, and must
call you."  She frankly gave him  her hand,
though her lips quivered, and her cheeks gradually became of an ashy paleness. " In every fortune, I know you will be an ornament and honour
to your sex. Alice, adieu"-his tones changed
from admiration to tenderness-" adieu, Alice;
we shall soon meet again; as conquerors, I trust,
and amid rejoicings!"
Without waiting for an answer from either of
tile maidens, the young man threw himself down
the grassy steps of the bastion, and moving rapidly Ilcross the parade, he was quickly in the presence of their father. Munro was pacing his narrow apartment with a disturbed air, and gigantic
strides, as Duncan entered.' You have anticipated my wishes, Major Heyward," he said; "I was about to request this
favour."
" I am sorry to see, sir, that the messenger I so
warmly recommended, has returned in custody of
the French! I hope there is no reason to distrust
his fidelity?"
" The fidelity of the' Long Rifle' is well known
to me," returned Munro, " and is above suspicion;
though his usual good fortune seems, at last, to
have failed. Montcalm has got him, and with the
accursed politeness of his nation, he has sent him
in with a doleful tale, of' knowing how I valued
the fellow, he could not think of retaining him.'
A jesuitical way, that, Major Duncan Heyward,
of telling a man of his misfortunes I"
"But the general and his succor - "
"Did ye look to the south as ye entered, and




230              THE LAST OF
could ye not see them!" said the old soldier,
laughing bitterly.  " Hoot! hoot! you're an impatient boy, sir, and cannot give the gentlemen
leisure for their march "
" They are coming then? The scout has said
as much?"
" When? and by what path? for the dunce has
omitted to tell me this! There is a letter, it would
seem, too; and that is the only agreeable part of
the matter. For the customary attentions of your
Marquis of Montcalm-I warrant me, Duncan,
that he of Lothian would buy a dozen such mar.
quessates-but, if the news of the letter were bad,
the gentility of this French monsieur would certainly compel him to let us know it!"
"He keeps the letter, then, sir, while he releases the messenger?"
" Ay, that does he, and all for the sake of what
you call your'bonhommie.' I would venture, if
the truth was known, the fellow's grandfather
taught the noble science of dancing!"
"But what says the scout? he has eyes and
ears, and a tongue! what verbal report does he
make?"
" Oh! sir, he is not wanting in natural organs,
and he is free to tell all that he has seen and heard.
The whole amount is this: there is a fort of his
majesty's on the banks of the Hudson, called Ed
ward, in honour of his gracious highness of York,
you'll know, and it is well filled with armed men.
as such a work should be!"
But was there no movement, no signs, of any
intention to advance to our relief?"
" There were the morning and evening parades
and when one of the* provincial loons —you'll
know, Duncan, you're half a Scotsman yourself
— when one of them dropped his powder over his




'rtE MOHICANS.             221
porretch, if it touched the coals, it just burnt!"
Then suddenly changing his bitter, ironical manner, to one more grae and thoughtful, he continued; "and yet there might, and must be, something in that letter, which it would be well to
know!"
"Our decision should be speedy," said Duncan,
gladly availing himself of this change of humour,
to press the more important objects of their interview; "I cannot conceal from you, sir, that the
camp will not be much longer tenable; and 1 am
sorry to add, that things appear no better in the
fort;-more than half our guns are bursted."-' "And how should it be otherwise! some were
fished fiom the bottom  of the lake; some have
been rusting in the woods since the discovery of
the country; and some were never guns at allmere privateersmen's playthings! Do you think;
sir, you can have Woolich Warren in the midstof
a wilderness; three thousand miles from GreatBritain!"
" Our walls are crumbling about our ears, and
provisions begin to fail us," continued Heyward,
without regarding this new burst of indignation;
"even the men show  signs of discontent and
alarm."
" Major Heyward," said Munro, turning to his
youthful associate with all the dignity of his years
and superior rank; "I should have served his majesty for half a century, and earned these gray
hairs, in vain, were I ignorant of all you say, and
of the pressing nature of our circumstances; still,
there is every thing due to the honour of the
king's arms, and something to ourselves. While
there is hope of succour, this fortress will I defend, though it be to be done with pebbles gathered on the lake shore. It is a sight or the letter,
rT 2




222              THE LAST OF
therefore, that we want, that we may know the
intentions of the man, the Earl of Loudon has
left among us as his substitute?"
" And can I be of service in the matter?"
~' Sir, you can; the Marquis of Montcalm has,
in addition to his other civilities, invited me to a
personal interview between these works and his
own camp; in order, as he says, to impart some
additional information. Now, I think it would
not be wise to show any undue solicitude to meet
him, and I would employ you, an officer of rank,
as my substitute; for it would but ill comport with
the honour of Scotland, to let it be said, one of
her gentlemen was outdone in civility, by a native
of any other country on earth!"
Without assuming the supererogatory task of
entering into a discussion of the comparative merits
of national courtesy, Duncan cheerfully assented
to supply the place of the veteran, in the approaching interview. A long and confidential communication now succeeded, during which the young
man received some additional insight into his duty,
from the experience and native acuteness of his
commander, and then the former took his leave.
As Duncan could only act as the representative
of the commandant of the fort, the ceremonies
whichi should have accompanied a meeting between the heads of the adverse forces, were of
course dispensed with.  The truce still existed,
and with a roll and beat of the drum, and covered
by a little white flag, Duncan left the sally-port,
within ten minutes after his instructions were
ended. He was received by tle French officer ir
advance, with the usual formalities, and immediately accompanied to the distant marquee of the
renowned soldier, who led the forces of France.
The general of the enemy received the youthful




THE MOHICANS.              2"3
messenger, surrounded by his principal officers,
and by a swarthy band of the native chiefs, who
had followed him to the field, with the warriors
of their several tribes.  Heyward paused short,
when, in glancing his eyes rapidly over the dark
group of the latter, he beheld the malignant countenance of Magua, regarding him with the calm
but sullen attention which marked the expression
of that subtle savage.  A slight exclamation of
surprise even burst from the lips of the young
man; but, instantly recollecting his errand, and
the presence in which he stood, he suppressed
every appearance of emotion, and turned to the
hostile leader, who had already advanced a step to
receive him.
The Marquis of Montcalm  was, at the period
of which we write, in the flower of his age, and it
may be added, in the zenith of his fortunes. But
even in that enviable situation, he was affable, and.
distinguished as much for his attention to the forms
of courtesy, as for that chivalrous courage, which,
only two short years afterwards, induced him  to
throw away his life, on the plains of Abraham.
Duncan, in turning his eyes from the malign expression of Magua, suffered them  to rest with
pleasure on the smiling and polished features, and
the noble, military air of the French general.
"Monsieur," said the latter, "J'ai beaucoup de
plaisir — bah! —oUi est cet interpr6te?"
"Je crois, ronsieur, qu'il ne sera pas n6ces
saire," Heyward modestly replied; "je parle un
peu Frangais."
"Ah! j'en suis bien aise," said Montcalm, taking
Duncan familiarly by the arm. and leading him
deep into the marquee, a little out of ear-shot,
C'je deteste ces fripons la; on ne sait jamais sui
quel pit on est avee eux   Eh, bien! monsieur "




224               THE LAST OF
he continued, still speaking in French; "t- ough
I should have been proud of receiving your commandant, I am very happy that he has seen proper
to employ an officer so distinguished, and who, I
am sure, is so amiable, as yourself."
Duncan bowed low, pleased with the complimen, in spite of a most heroic determination to
suffer no artifice to allu.re him into a forgetfulness
of the interests of his prince; and Montcalm, after
a pause of a moment, as if to oollect his thoughts,
proceeded" Your commandant is a brave man, and well
qualified to repel my assaults. Mais, monsieur,
is it not time to begin to take more counsel of hu
manity, and less of your own courage? The one as
strongly characterizes the hero, as the other!"
"We consider the qualities as inseparable," returned Duncan, smiling; "but, while we find in.the vigour of your excellency, every motive to
stimulate the one, we can, as yet, see no particular
call for the exercise of the other."
Montcalm, in his turn, slightly bowed, but it
was with the air of a man too practised to remember the language of flattery. After musing a moment, he added" It is possible my glasses have deceived me,
and that your works resist our cannon better than
I had supposed.  You know our force?"
"Our accounts vary," said Duncan, carelessly;
" the highest, however, has not exceeded twenty
thousand men."
The Frenchman bit his lip, and fastened his
eyes keenly on the other, as if tr read his thoughts;
then, with a readiness peculiar to himself, he continued, as if assenting to the truth of an enumeration, which he knew  was not credited by his
visitor.




THE MOHIC ANS.              22
"It is a poor compliment to the % igilance of us
soldiers, monsieur, that, do what we will, we never
can conceal our numbers.  If it were to be done
at all, one would believe it might succeed in these
woods.  Though you think it too soon to listen
to the calls of humanity," he added, smiling,
archly, " I may be permitted to believe that gallantry is not forgotten by one so young as youiself. The daughters of the commandant, I learn,
have passed into the fort, since it was invested?"
It is true, monsieur; but so far from weakening our efforts, they set us an example of courage
in their own fortitude. Were nothing but resoliltion necessary to repel so accomplished a soldier,
as M. de Montcalm, I would gladly trust the defence of William Henry to the elder of those ladies."
"We have a wise ordinance in our Salique laws,
which says,'the crown of France shall never
descend the lance to the distaff,' " said Montcalm,
dryly, and with a little hauteur; but, instantly
adding, With his former frank and easy air,' as
all the nobler qualities are hereditary, I can easily
credit you; though, as I said before, courage has
its limits, and humanity must not be forgotten. I
trust, monsieur, you come authorized to treat foi
the surrender of the place?"
" Has your excellency found our defence so feeble, as to believe the measure necessary!"
"I should be sorry to have the defence protracted in such a manner, as to irritate my red
friends there," continued Montcalm, glancing his
eyes at the group of grave and attentive Indians,
without attending to the other's question; "I find
it difficult, even now, to limit them to the usages
of war."
Heyward was silent; for a painful recollection of




226              THE LAST OF
the dangers he had so recently escaped came over
his mind, and recalled the images of those defenceless beings, who had shared in all his sufferings.
"Ces messieurs la," said Montcalm, following
up the advantage which he conceived he had
gained, " are most formidable when baffled; and
it is unnecessary to tell you, with what difficulty
they are restrained in their anger. Eh bien, monsieur! shall we speak of the terms of the surrender?"
" I fear your excellency has been deceived as to
the strength of William Henry, and the resources
of its garrison I"
" I have not set down before Quebec, but an
earthen work, that is defended by twenty-three
hundred gallant men," was the laconic, though
polite reply.
" Our mounds are earthen, certainly-nor are
they seated on the rocks of Cape Diamond;-but
they stand on that shore which proved so destructive to Dieskau, and his brave army.  There is
also a powerful force within a few hours march of
us, which we account upon as part of our means of
defence."
" Some six or eight thousand men," returned
Montcalm, with much apparent indifference, " whom
their leader, wisely, judges to be safer in their
works, than in the field."
It was now Heyward's turn to bite his lip with
vexation, as the other so coolly alluded to a force
which the young man knew to be overrated. Both
mused a little while in silence, when Montcalm
renewed the conversation, in a way that showed
he believed the visit of his guest was, solely, to
propose terms of capitulation. On thetheoter hand,
Hyward began to throw sundry inducements in
the way of the French general, to betray the dis



THE MOHICANS,              227
coveries he had made through the intercepted letter. The artifice of neither, however, succeeded;
and, after a protracted and fruitless interview,
Duncan took his leave, favourably impressed with
an opinion of the courtesy and talents of the enemy's captain, but as ignorant of what he came to
learn, as' when he arrived. Montcalm followed
him as far as the entrance of the marquee, renew-Ing his invitations to the commandant of the fort,
to give him an immediate meeting in the open
ground, between the two armies.
There they separated, and Duncan returned to
the advanced post of the French, accompanied as
before; whence he instantly proceeded to the fort,
and to the quarters of his own commander.
CHAPTER XVI.
" Edg.-Before you fight the battle, ope this letter."-Lear.
MAJOR Heyward found Munro attended only
by his daughters. Alice sate upon his knee, parting the gray hairs on the forehead of the old man,
with her delicate fingers; and whenever he affected
to frown on her trifling, appeasing his assumed
anger, by pressing her ruby lips fondly on his
wrinkled brow.  Cora was seated nigh them, a
calm and amused looker-on; regarding the wayward movements of her more youthful sister,
with that species of maternal fondness, which
characterised her love tor Alice   Not only the
dangers through which they had passed, but those
which still impended above them, appeared to be
momentarily forgotten, in the soothing indulgence




228               THE,LAST OF
of such a family meeting. It seemed as if they
had profited by tie. hort truce, to devote an instant
to the purest and best affections: the daughters
forgetting their fears, and the veteran his cares, in
the stillness and seourity of the moment. Of this
scene, Duncan, who, in his eagerness to report his
arrival, had entered unannounced, stood many
moments an unobserved and a delighted spectator.
But the quick and dancing eyes of Alice soon
caught a glimpse of his figure,. reflected from a
glass, and she sprang blushing from her father's
knee, exclaiming aloud, in her surprise-' Major Heyward!"
" What of the lad?" demanded her father; " I
have sent him to crack a little with the Frenchman. Ha! sir, you are young, and you're nimble!
Away with you, ye baggage; as if there were not
troubles enough for a soldier, without having his
camp filled with such prattling hussies as yourself!"
Alice laughingly followed her sister, who instantly led the way from an apartment, where she
perceived their presence was no longer desirable.
Munro, instead of demanding the result of the
young man's mission, paced the room for a few
moments, with his hands behind his back, and,
his head inclined towards the floor, like a nan
lost in deep thought. At length, he raised his
eyes, glistening with a father's fondness, and exclaimed" They are a pair of excellent girls, Heyward,
and such as any one may boast of!"
"You are not now to learn my opinion of your
daughters, Colonel Munro."
"True. lad, true," interrupted the impatient
old man; "you were about opening your mind
more fully on that matter the day you got in; but
I did not think it becoming in an old soldier to be




THE MOHICANS.             229
talking of nuptial blessings, and wedding jokes,
when the enemies of his king were likely to be
unbidden guests at the feast! But I was wrong,
Duncan, boy, I was wrong there, and I am  now
ready to hear what you have to say."
" Notwithstanding the pleasure your assurance
gives me, dear sir, I have, just now, a message
from Montcalm-"
" Let the Frenchman, and all his host, go to the
devil, sir!" exclaimed the veteran, frowning severely. " He is not yet master of William Hen.
ry, nor shall he ever be, provided Webb proves
himself the man he should.  No, sir! thank heaven, we are not yet in such a strait, that it can be
said, Munro is too much pressed to discharge the
little domestic duties of his own family!  Your
mother was the only child of my bosom friend,
Duncan; and I'll just give you a hearing, though
all the knights of St. Louis were in a body at the
sally-port, with the French saint at their head,
craving to speak a word, under favour.  A pretty
degree of knighthood, sirs is that which can be
bought with sugar-hogsheads! and then your two
penny marquessates! Tie Thistle is tho order fo.
dignity and antiquity; the veritable'nemo me impune lacessit' of chivalry! Ye had ancestors in
that degree, Duncan, and they were an ornament
to the nobles of Scotland."
Heyward, who perceived that his superior took
a malicious pleasure in exhibiting his contempt for
the message of the French general, was fain to
humour a spleen that he knew would be short
lived; he, therefore, replied with as much indifference as he could assume on such a subject" My request, as you know, sir, went so far as
to presume to the honour of being your son."
"Ay, boy, you found words to make yourself
U




e30              THE LAST OF
very plainly comprehended! But, let me ask ye,
sil; have you been as intelligible to the girl?"
"On my honour, no," exclaimed Duncan, warm
ly; "there would have been an abuse of a confided trust, had I taken advantage of my situation,
for such a purpose!"
" Y our notions are those of a gentleman, Major
1Ieyward, and well enough in their place. But
Cora Munro is a maiden too discreet, and of a
nind too elevated and improved, to need the
guardianship, even of a father."
"Cora!"' Ay-Cora! we are talking of your pretensions to Miss Munro, are we not, sir?"
" I —-I, was not conscious of having mentioned  her name," said  Duncan, stammering
through embarrassment.
" And, to marry whom, then, did you wish my
consent, Major Heyward," demanded the old soldier, erecting himself in all the dignity of offended feeling.
" You have another, and not less lovely child'
"Alice!" exclaimed the father, in an astonishment equal to that with which Duncan had just
repeated the name of her sister.
" Such was the direction of my wishes, sir.'
The young man awaited in silence, the result of
the extraordinary effect produced by a communication which, as it now appeared, was so unexpected.  For several minutes, Munro paced the
chamber with long and rapid stri&s, his rigid features working convulsively, and every faculty
seemingly absorbed in the musings of his own
mind.  At length, he paused directly in front of
Heyward, and riveting his eyes upon those of the
other, he said, with a lip that quivered violently
with his emotions



IIE MOIIICANS             231
Duncan Heyward, I have loced ycu for the
sake of him whose blood is in your veins; I have
loved you for your own good qualities; and I have
loved you, because I thought you would contribute
to the happiness of my child.  But all this love
would turn to hatred, were I assured, that what I
so much apprehend is true!"
" Go( forbid that any act or thought of mine
should lead to such a change!" exclaimed the
young man, whose eye never quailed under the
penetrating look it encountered. Without adverting to the impossibility of the other's comprehending those feelings which were hid in his own
bosom, Munro suffered himself to be appeased by
the unaltered countenance he met, and with a
voice sensibly softened, he continued" You would be my son, Duncan, and you're
ignorant of the history of the man you wish to
call your father. Sit ye down, young man, and I
will open to you the wounds of a seared heart, in
as few words as may be suitable."
By this time, the message of Montcalm was as
much forgotten by him who bore it, as by the map
for whose ears it was intended.  Each drew a
chair, and while the veteran communed a few moments with his'own thoughts, apparently in sadness, the youth suppressed his impatience in a
look and attitude of respectful attention.  At
length, the former spoke" You'll know, already, Major Heyward, that
my family was both ancient and honourable,"
commenced the Scotsman, " though it might not
altogether be endowed with that amount of wealth,
that should correspond with its degree. I was,
may be, such an one as yourself, when I plighted
my faith to Alice Graham; the only child of a
neighbouring laird of some estate.  But the con




232              TIIF LAST OP
nexion was disagreeable to her father, on more accounts than my poverty.  I did, therefore, what
an honest man should; restored the maiden her
troth, and departed the country, in the service of
my king.  I had seen many regions, and had shed
much blood in different lands, before duty called
me to the islands of the West Indies.  Tnere it
was my lot to form a connexion with one who in
time became my wife, and the mother of Cora
She was the daughter of a gentleman of those
isles, by a lady, whose misfortune it was, if you
will," said the old man, proudly, " to be descendded, remotely, from that unfortunate class, who are
so basely enslaved to administer to the wants of a
luxurious people! Ay, sir, that is a curse entailed
on Scotland, by her unnatural union with a foreign
and trading people. But could I find a man among
them, who would dare to reflect her descent on
my child, he should feel the weight of a father's
anger! Ha! Major Heyward, you are yourself
born at the south, where these unfortunate beings
are considered of a race inferior to your own!"
"'Tis most unfortunately true, sir," said Duncan, unable any longer to prevent his eyes from
sinking to the floor in embarrassment
" And you cast it on my child as a reproach!
You scorn to mingle the blood of the Heywards,
with one so degraded-lovely and virtuous though
she be?" fiercely demanded the jealous patent.
"Heaven protect me from a prejudice so unworthy of my reason!" returned Duneai., at the
same time conscious of such a feeling, and that as
deeply rooted as if it had been sngrafted in his
nature. " The sweetness, the beauty, the witchery
of your younger daughter, Colonel Munro, might
explain my motives, without imputing to me this
injustice."




THE MOHICANS.              233
"Ye are right, sir," returned the old man,
again changing his tones to those of gentleness, or
rather softness; "the girl is the image of what
her mother was at her years, and before she had
Lecome acquainted with grief.  When death deprived me of my wife, I returned to Scotland, eniicned by the marriage; and would you think it,
Duncan! the suffering angel had remained in the
heartless state of celibacy twenty long years, and
that for the sake of a man wh6 could forget her!
She did more, sir; she overlooked my want of
faith, and all difficulties being'now removed, she
took me for her husband."
"And became the mother of Alice!" exclaimed
Duncan, with an eagerness, that might have proved
dangerous, at a moment when the thoughts of
IMunro were less occupied than at present.
" She did, indeed," said the old man, the muscles
of his face working powerfully, as he proceeded,
" and dearly did she pay for the blessing she bestowed.  But she is a saint in heaven, sir; and it
ill becomes one whose foot rests on the grave, to
mourn a lot so blessed.  I had her but a single
year, though; a short term of happiness, for one
who had seen her youth fade in hopeless pining!"
There was something so commanding, if not
awful, in the distress of the old man, that Heyward did not dare to venture a syllable of consolation.  Munro sat utterly unconscious of the
other's presence, his features exposed and working with the anguish of his regrets, while heavy
tears fell from his eyes, and rolled unheeded from
his cheeks to the floor. At length he moved, as
if suddenly recovering his recollection; when he
arose, and taking a single turn across the room,
he approached his companion with an air of high
military grandeur, and demandedIT 2




234             THE LASr OF
"Have you not, Major Heyward, some cor
nunication, that I should hear, from the Marquis
de Montcalm?"
Duncan started, in his turn, and immediately
commenced, in an embarrassed voice, to repeat
the half-forgotten message. It is unnecessary to
dwell upon the evasive, though polite manner
with which the French general had eluded every
attempt of Heyward to worm from him the purport of the communication he had proposed making
or on the decided, though still polished message,
by which he now gave his enemy to understand,
that unless he chose to receive it in person, he
should not receive it at all. As Munro listened to
the lengthened detail of Duncan, the excited feelings of the father gradually gave way before the
obligations of his station, and when the other was
done, he saw before him nothing but the veteran,
swelling with the wounded feelings of a soldier.
" You have said enough, Major Heyward!"
exclaimed the angry old man; "enough to make
a volume of commentary on French civility! Here
has this gentleman invited me to a conference, and
when I send him a capable substitute, for ye're
all that Duncan, though your years are but few
lie answers me with a riddle!"
" He may have thought less favourably of the
substitute, my dear sir," returned Duncan, smiling;
" and you will remember that the invitation, which
he now repeats, was to the commandant of the
works, and not to his second."
"WVell, sir, is not a substitute clothed with all
the power and dignity of him who grants the commission? He wishes to confer with Munro! Faith,
sir, I have much inclination to indulge the man,
if it should only be to let him behold the firm
countenance we maintain, in spite ol his numbers




I HIE MOHICANS             235
and his summons! There might be no bad policy
in such a stroke, young man."
Duncan, who believed it of the last importance,
that they should speedily come at the contents of
the letter borne by the scout, gladly encouraged
this idea, saying" Without doubt, he could gather no confidence
by witnessing our indifference."
"You never said truer word.  I could wish,
sir, that he would visit the works in open day, and
in the form of a storming party: that is the least
failing method of proving the countenance of an
enemy, and would be far preferable to the battering system he has chosen. The beauty and manliness of warfare has been much deformed, Major
Heyward, by the arts of your Monsieur Vauban.
Our ancestors were far above such scientific
cowardice!"
"It may be very true, sir; but we are, now,
obliged to repel art by art. What is your pleasure in the matter of the interview?"
" I will meet the Frenchman, and that without
fear or delay; promptly, sir, as becomes a servant
of my royal master.  Go, Major Heyward, and
give them a flourish of the music, and send out a
messenger to let them know who is coming. We
will follow with a small guard, for such respect is
due to one who holds the honour of his king in
keeping; and, hark'ee, Duncan," he added, in a
half whisper, though they were alone, " it may
be prudent to have some aid at hand, in case there
should be treachery at the bottom of it all."
The young man availed himself of this order, to
quit the apartment; and, as the day was fast coming
to a close, he hastened, without delay, to make the
necessary arrangements. A very few minutes only
were necessary to parade a few files, and to despatch




236              THE LAST OF
an orderly with a flag, to announce the approach
of the commandant of the fort. When Duncan had
done both these, he led the guard to the sallyport, near which he f6und his superior already,
waiting his appearance.  As soon as the usual
ceremonials of a military departure were observed,
the veteran, and his more youthful companion,
left the fortress, attended by the escort.
They had proceeded only a hundred yards from
the works, when the little array which attended
the French general to the conference, was seen
issuing from the hollow way, which formed the
bed of a brook, that ran between the batteries of
the besiegers and the fort.  From  the moment
that Munro left his own works, to appear in front
of his enemies, his air had been grand, and his
step and countenance highly military. The instant
he caught a glimpse of the White plume that waved
in the hat of Montcalm, his eye lighted with the
consciousness of his own daring, and age no longer
appeared to possess any influence over his vast
and still muscular person.
"'Speak to the boys to be watchful, sir," he
said, in an under tone, to Duncan; "and to look
well to their flints and steel, for one is never safe
with a servant of these Louis; at the same time,
we will show them  the front of men in deep
security. Ye'll understand me, Major Heyward!"
He was interrupted by the clamour of a drum
from the approaching Frenchmen, which was immediately answered, when each party pushed an
orderly in advance, nearing a white flag, and the
wary Scotsman halted, with his guard close at his
back. As soon as this slight salutation had passed,
Montcalm moved towards them with a quick but
graceful step, baring his head to the veteran, Cnd
dropping his spotless plume nearly to the earth, in




THE MOHICANS.              237
courtesy.  If the air of Munro was more commanding and manly, it wanted both the ease and
insinuating polish of the Frenchman.  Neither
spoke for a few moments, each regarding the other
with curious and interested eyes.  Then, as became his superior rank, and the nature of the interview, Montcalm first broke the silence. Aftet
uttering the usual words of greeting to Munro,
he turned to Duncan, and continued, with a smile
of recognition, speaking always in French" I am rejoiced, monsieur, that you have given
us the pleasure of your company on this occasion.
There will be no necessity to employ an ordinary
interpreter, for in your hands I feel the same security, as if I spoke your language myself."
Duncan acknowledged the compliment, when
Montcalm, turning to his guard, which, in imitation of that of their enemies, pressed close upon
him, he continued"En arriere, mes enfans-il fait chaud; retirezvous un peu."
Before  Major Heyward would imitate this
proof of confidence, he glanced his eyes around
the plain, and beheld, with uneasiness, the numerous dusky groups of savages, who looked out
from the margin of the surrounding woods, curious
spectators of the pending interview.
"Monsieur de Montcalm will readily acknow
ledge the difference in our situation," he satl,
with some embarrassment, pointing, at the same
time, towards those dangerous foes. who were to
be seen in almost every direction.  " Were we to
dismiss our guard, we should stand here at the
mercy of our enemies."
" Monsieur, you have the plighted faith of'un
gentil-homne Francais, for your safety," return




238              THE LAST OF
ed Montcalm, laying his hand impressively on
his heart; " and it should suffice."
"It shall.  Fall back," Duncan added to the
officer who led the escort; " fall back, sir, beyond
hearing, and wait for orders."
Munro witnessed this movement with manifest
uneasiness; nor did he fail to demand an instant
explanation.
"Is it not our interest, sir, to betray no distrust?"
retorted Duncan. "Monsieurde AMontcalm pledges
his word for our safety, and I have ordered the
men to withdraw a little, in order to prove how
much we depend on his assurance."
" It may be all right, sir, but I have no overweening reliance on the faith of these marquesses,
or marquis, as they call themselves. Their patents of nobility are too common, to be certain
that they bear the seal of true honour."
" You forget, dear sir, that we confer with an
officer, distinguished alike in Europe and America, for his deeds.  From a soldier'of his reputation we can have nothing to apprehend."
The old man made a gesture of resignation,
though his rigid features still betrayed his obstinate adherence to a distrust, which he derived
from a sort of hereditary contempt of his enemy,
rather than from any present signs, which might
warrant so uncharitable a feeling.  Montcalm
waited, patiently, until this little dialogue in demi
voice was ended, when he drew nigher, and opened the subject of their conference.
" I have solicited this interview from your su
perior, monsieur," he said, " because I believe he
will allow himself to be persuaded, that he has already done every thing which is necessary for the
honour of his prince, and will now listen to the
admonitions of humanity.  I will for ever bear




THE MOHICANS.              239
testimony that his resistance has been gallant, and
was continued, so long as there was any hope."
When this opening was translated to Munro, he
answered with dignity, but with sufficient courtesy,
"However I may prize such testimony from
Monsieur Montcalm, it will be more valuable
when ft shall be better merited."
The French general smiled, as Duncan gave him
the purport of this reply, and observed" What is now so freely accorded to approved
courage, may be refused to useless obstinacy.
Monsieur would wish to see my camp, and witness, for himself, our numbers, and the impossibility of his resisting them with success?"
"I know that the king of France is well served,"
returned the unmoved Scotsman, as soon as Duncan ended his translation; " but my own royal
master has as many and as faithful troops."
" Though not at hand, fortunately for us," said
Montcalm, without waiting, in his ardour, for the
interpreter.  " There is a destiny in war, to which
a brave man knows how to submit, with the same
courage that he faces his foes."
" Had I been conscious that Monsieur Montcalm  was'master of the English, I would have
pared myself the trouble of so awkward a transation," said the vexed Duncan, dryly; remembering instantly his recent by-play with Munro.
" Your pardon, monsieur," rejoined the Frenchman, suffering a slight colour to appear on his dark
cheek.  "There is a vast difference between understanding and speaking a foreign tongue; you
will, therefore, please to assist me still."  Then
after a short pause, he added, " These hills afford
us every opportunity of reconnoitring y our works,
messieurs, and I am possibly as well acquainted




240              THE LAST OF
with their weak condition as you can he yourselves 
"Ask the French general if his glasses can
reach to the Hudson," said Munro, proudly;' and if he knows when and where to expect the
army of Webb."
" Let general Webb be his own interpreter,"
returned the politic Montcalm, suddenly extending an open letter towards Munro, as he spoke;' you will there learn, monsieur, that his movenents are not likely to prove embarrassing to my
army."
The veteran seized the offered paper without
waiting for Duncan to translate the speech, and
with an eagerness that betrayed how important he
deemed its contents. As his eye passed heavily
over the words, his countenance gradually changed
from its look of military pride, to one of deep
chagrin; his lip began to quiver; and, as he suffered the paper to fall from his hand, his head dropped upon his chest, like that of a man whose hopes
were all withered at a single blow.  Duncan
caught the letter from the ground, and without
apology for the liberty he took, he read, at a
glance, its cruel purport. Their common superior, so far from encouraging them to resist, advised
a speedy surrender, urging, in the plainest language, as a reason, the utter impossibility of his
sending a single man to their rescue.
"Here is no deception!" exclaimed Duncan,
examining the billet both inside and out; "this is
the signature of Webb, and must be the captured
letter!"
"The man has betrayed me!" Munro at length
bitterly exclaimed; " he has brought dishonour to
the door of one, where disgrace was never before




THE MOHICANS.              241
known to dwell, and shame has he heaped heavily
on my gray hairs!"
" Say not so!" cried Duncan; " we are yet nasters of the fort, and of our honour! Let us then
sell our lives at such a rate, as shall make our enemies believe the purchase too dear!"
" Boy, I thank thee!" exclaimed the old man,
rousing himself from his stupor; "you have, for
once, reminded Munro of his duty.* We will go
back, and dig our graves behind those ramparts!"
" Messieurs," said Montcalm, advancing towards
them a step, in his generous interest  " you little
know Louis de St. Veran, if you believe him capable of profiting by this letter, to humble brave
men, or to build up a dishonest reputation for himself.  Listen to my terms before you leave me."
"What says the Frenchman," demanded the
veteran, sternly; " does he make a merit of having
captured a scout, with a note from head-quarters?
Sir, he had better raise this siege, and go to sit
down before Edward, if he wishes to frighten his
enemy with words!"
Duncan explained the other's meaning.
" Monsieur de Montcalm, we will hear you,"
the veteran added, more calmly, as Duncan ended.
"To retain the fort is now impossible," said
his liberal enemy; " it is necessary to the interests of my master, that it should be destroyed;
but, as for yourselves, and your brave comrades,
there is no privilege dear to a soldier that shall be
denied."
" Our colours?" demanded Heyward.
" Garry thenl to England, and show them to your
king."
" Our arms!"
"Keep them; none can use them better!"
"Our march; the surrender of the place?"
X




242       THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
" Shall all be done in a way most honourable to
yourselves. "
Duncan now turned to explain these proposals
to his commander, who heard him  with amazemeljt, and a sensibility that was deeply touched
by such unusual and unexpected generosity.
"Go you, Duncan,^ he said; "go with this
marquess, as indeed marquess he should be; go to
his marquee, land arrange it all.  I have lived to
see two things in my old age, that never did I ex
pect to behold. An Englishman afraid to support
a friend, and'a Frenchman too honest to profit by
his advantage!"
So saying, the veteran again dropped his head
to his chest, and returned slowly towards the fort,
exhibiting, in the dejection of his air, to the anxious garrison, a harbinger of evil tidings.
Dlincan remained to settle the terms of the capitulation.  He was seen to re-enter the works
during the first watches of the night, and immediately after a private conference with the commandaft, to leave them again. It was then openly
announced, that hostilities must cease-Munro
having signed a treaty, by which the place was to
be yielded to the enemy, with the morning; the
garrison to retain their arms, their colours, a.nd
their baggage, and consequently, accordiag, tb
military opinion, their honour.




CHAPTER XVII.
"a Weave we the woof. The thread is spun.
The web is wove. The work is done." —Gray.
THrE hostile armies, who lay in the wilds of the
Horican, passed the night of the ninth of August,
1757, much in the manner that would have prevailed, had they encountered on the fairest field
of Europe.  While the conquered were still, sullen and dejected, the victors triumphed.  But,
there are limits, alike, to grief and joy; and long
before the dead watches of the morning came, the
stillness of those boundless woods was only broken,
by a gay call from some exulting young Frenchman of the advanced picquets, or a menacing challenge from  the fort, which sternly forbade the
approach of any hostile footsteps before the stipulated moment should arrive.  Even these occasional threatening sounds ceased to be heard in
that dull hour which precedes the day, at which
period a listener might have sought, in vain, any
evidence of the presence of those armed powers,
that then slumbered on the shores of the'holy
lake.'
It was during these moments of deep silences
that the canvass which concealed the entrance to
a spacious marquee, in the French encampment,
was shoved aside, and a man issued from beneath
the drapery into the open air. He was enveloped
in a cloak that might have been intended as a protection from the chilling (lamps of the woods, but
which served equally well, as a mantle, to conceal
his person. He was permitted to pass the grena.
dier, who watched over the slumbers of the French
commander, without inter'ruption, the man making




244              THE LAST OF
the usual salute, which betokens military defer.
ence, as the other passed swiftly through the little
city of tents, in the direction of William Henry.
Whenever this unknown individual encountered
one of the numberless sentinels, who crossed his
path. his answer was prompt, and as it appeared
satisfactory; for he was uniformly allowed to proceed, without further interrogation.
With the exception of such repeated, but brief
interruptions, he had moved, silently, from the
centre of the camp, to its most advanced outposts,
when he drew  nigh the soldier, who held his
watch nearest to the works of the enemy. As he
approached, he was received with the usual challenge.
"Qui vive?"
"France"-was the reply.
"Le mot d'ordre?"
" La victoire," said the other, drawing so nigh,
as to be heard in a loud whisper.
" C'est bien," returned the sentinel, throwing
his musket from the charge to his shoulder; "vous
vous promenez bien matin, monsieur!"
" I est necessaire d'etre vigilant, mon enfant,"
tile other observed, dropping a fold of his cloak,
and looking the soldier close in the face, as he
passed him, still continuing his way towards the
British fortification.  The man started; his arms
rattled heavily, as he threw them- forward, in the
lowest and most respectful salute; and when he
had again recovered his piece, he turned to walk
his post, muttering between his teeth,
-   II faut etre vigilant, en v6rit6! je crois que
nous avons 1  un caporal qui ne dortjamais!"
The officer proceeded, without affecting to hear
the words which escaped the sentinel in his surprise' nor did he, again, pause, until lie had




THE MOHICANS               245
reacned the low strand, and in a somewhat dangerous vicinity to the western water bastion of the
fort.  The light of an obscured moon, was just
sufficient to render objects, though dim, perceptible in their outlines.  He, therefore, took the
precaution to place himself against the trunk of a
tree, where he leaned, for many minutes, and
seemed to contemplate the dark and silent mounds
of the English works, in profound attention. His
gaze at the ramparts was not that of a curious or
idle spectator; but his looks wandered from point
to point, denoting his knowledge of military usages
and betraying that his search was not unaccompa
nied by distrust. At length he appeared satisfied,
and having cast his eyes, impatiently, upward, towards the summit of the eastern mountain, as if
anticipating the approach of the morning, he was
in the act of turning on his footsteps, when a light
sound on the nearest angle of the bastion, caught
his ear, and induced him to remain.
Just then a figure was seen to approach the edge
of the rampart, where it stood, apparently, contemplating in its turn the distant tents of the French
encampment.  Its head was then turned towards
the east, as though equally anxious for the appearance of light, when the form leaned against the
mound, and seemed to gaze upoin the glassy expanse of the waters, which, like a submarine firmament, glittered with its thousand mimic stars.
The melancholy air, the hour, together with the
vast frame of the man who thus leaned, in musing,
against the English ramparts, left no doubt as to
his person, in the mind of the observant spectator.
Delicacy, no less than prudence, now urged him
to retire; and he had moved cautiously round the
body of the tree, for that purpose, when another
sound drew his attention, and once more arrested
X2




246              THE LAST OF
his footsteps.  ft was a low, and almost inaudible
movement of the water, and was succeeded by a
grating of pebbles, one against the other.  In a
moment, he saw a dark form rise, as it were, out
of the lake, and steal, without farther noise, to the
land,.within a few feet of the place where he himself stood. A rifle next slowly rose between his
eyes and the watery mirror; but before it could
be discharged, his own hand was on the lock.
" Hugh!" exclaimed the savage, whose treacherous aim was so singularly and so unexpectedly
interrupted.
Without making any reply, the French officer
laid his hand on the shoulder of the Indian, and
led him, in profound silence, to a distance from
the spot, where their subsequent dialogue might
have proved dangerous, and where, it seemed,
that one of them, at least, sought a victim. Then,
throwing open hiscloak,so as to expose his uniform,
and the cross of St. Louis, which was suspended at
his breast, Montcalm sternly demanded" What means this! does not my son know, that
the hatchet is buried between the English and his
Canadian father?"
" What can the Hurons do?" returned the
savage, speaking, also, though imperfectly, in the
French language.  "Not a warrior has a scalp,
and the pale faces make friends!"
"Ha! le Renard Subtil! Methinks this is an
excess of zeal for a fiiend, who was so late an
enemy! How many suns have set, sin'ce le Renard
struck the war post of the English?"
" Where is that sun!" demanded the sullen
savage. "Behind the hill; and it is dark and cold.
But when he comes again, it will be bright and
warm.  Le Subtil is the sun of his tribe.  There
have been clouds, and many mountains between




THE MOHICANS               247
him and his nation; but now he shines, and it is
a clear sky!"
" That le Renard has power with his people, I
well know,' said Montcalm; " tor yesterday he
hunted for their scalps, and to-day, they hear him
at the council fire!"
" Magua is a great chief!"
c Let him prove it, by teaching his nation how
to conduct towards our new friends!"
" Why did the chief of the Canadas bring his
young men into the woods, and fire his cannon at
yonder earthen house?" demanded the subtle Indian.
" To subdue it. My master owns the land, and
your father was ordered to drive off' these English
squatters.  They have consented to go, and now
he calls them enemies no longer."
"'Tis well. Magua took the hatchet to colour
it with blood.  It is now bright; when it is red,
it shall be buried."
" But Magua is pledged not to sully the lilies of
France. The enemies of the great king across the
salt lake, are his enemies; his friends, the friends
of the Hurons."
" Friends!" repeated the Indian, in bitter scorn.
"Let his father give Magua a hand."
Montcalm, who felt that his influence over the
warlike tribes he had gathered, was to be maintained by conebssion, rather than by power, complied, reluctantly, with the other's request. The
savage placed the finger of the French commander
on a deep scar in his bosom, and then exultingly
demanded —
" Does my father know that?"
" What warrior does not!'tis where the leaden
bullet has cut."
"And this!" continued the Indian, who had




248              THE LAST OF
turned his naked back to the other, his body being
without its usual calico mantle.
" This!-my son, has been sadly injured, here!
who has done this?"
" Magua slept hard in the English wigwams.
and the sticks have left their mark," returned the
ravage, with a hollow laugh, which did not, nor
could not, however, conceal the fierce temper that
nearly choked him.  Then, recollecting himself,
with sudden and native dignity, he added —" Go;
teach your young men, it is peace! le Renard
Subtil knows how to speak to a Huron warrior!"
Without deigning to bestow farther words, or to
wait for any answer, the savage cast his rifle into
the hollow  of his arm, and  moved, silently,
through the encampment towards the woods,
where his own tribe was known to lie.  Every
few yards, as he proceeded, he was challenged by
the sentinels; but he stalked, sullenly, onward,
utterly disregarding the summons of the soldiers,
who only spared his life, because they knew the
air and tread, no less than the obstinate daring, of
an Indian.
Montcalm lingered long and melancholy on the
strand, where he had been left'by his companion,
brooding deeply on the temper which his ungovernable ally had just discovered. Already had his
fair fame been tarnished by one horrid scene, and
in circumstances fearfully resembling those, under
which he now found himself.  As he mused, he
became keenly sensible of the deep responsibility
they assume, who disregard the means to attain
their end, and of all the danger of setting in motion an engine, which it exceeds human power to
control. Then shaking off a train of reflections,
that he accounted a weakness in such a moment of
triumph, he retraced his steps towards his tent,




THE MOHICANS.              249
giving the order, as he passed, to make the signal
that should call the army from its slumbers.
The first tap of the French drums was echoed
from  the bosom of the fort; and, presently, the
valley was filled with the strains of martial music,
rising long, thrilling, and lively, above the rattling
accompaniment.  The horns of the victors sounded merry and cheerful flourishes, until the last laggard of the camp was at his post; but the instant
the British fifes had blown their shrill signal, they
became mute.  In the mean time the day had
dawned, and when the line of the French army
was ready to receive its general, the rays of a
brilliant sun were glancing along its glittering array.  Then, that success which was already so
well known, was officially announced; the favoured band, who were selected to guard the gates of
the fort, were detailed, and defiled before their
chief; the signal of their approach was given, and
all the usual preparations for a change of masters,
were ordered and executed directly under the guns
of the contested works.
A very different scene presented itself within
the lines of the Anglo-American army. As soon
as the warning signal was given, it exhibited all
the signs of a hurried and forced departure. The
sullen soldiers shouldered their empty tubes, and
fell into their places, like men whose blood had
been heated by the past contest, and who only desired the opportunity to revenge an indignity,
which was still wounding to their pride, concealed,
as it was, under all the observances of military
etiquette.  Women and children ran from place
to place, some bearing the scanty remnants of
their baggage, and others searching, in the ranks,
for those countenances they looked up to for pro
tection.




250              THE LAST OF
Munro appeared among his silent troops, firm,
but dejected. It was evident that the unexpected
blow had struck deep into his heart, though he
struggled to sustain his misfortune with the polt
of a man.
Duncan was touched at the quiet and impressive
exhibition of his grief. He had discharged his
own duty, and he now pressed to the side of the
old man, to know in what particular he might
serve him.
" My daughters," was the brief, but expressive
reply.
" Good heavens! Are not arrangements already
made for their convenience?"
" To-day I am only a soldier, Major Heyward,"
said the veteran. " All that you see here, claim
alike to be my children.'
Duncan had heard enough. Without losing one
of those moments which had now become so precious, he flew towards the quarters of Munro, in
quest of the sisters. He found them on the threshold of the low edifice, already prepared to depart, and surrounded by a clamorous and weeping
assemblage of their own sex, that had gathered
about the place, with a sort of instinctive consciousness, that it was the point most likely to be
protected. Though the cheeks of Cora were pale,
and her countenance ai.xiot s, she had lost none of
her firmness; but the eyes of Alice were inflamed,
and betrayed how long and bitterly she had wept.
They both, however, received the young man
with undisguised pleasure; the former, for a novelty, being tie first to speak.
" The fort is lost," she said, with a melancholy
smile; " though our good name, I trust, remains!"
"'Tis brighter than ever! But, dearest Miss'Munro, it is time to think less of others, and to




THE MOHICANS.             251
make some pirovision for yo irself.  Military usage
-pride-that pride on which you so much value
yourself, demands that your father and I should,
for a little while, continue with the troops. Then
where to seek a proper protector for you, against
the confusion and chances of such a scene!"
"None is necessary," returned Cora; "who
will dare to injure or insult the daughter of such a
father, at a time'like this!"
1 I would not leave you alone," continued the
youth, looking about him in a hurried manner,
" for the command of the best regiment in the pay
of the king! Remember, our Alice is not gifted
with all your firmness, and God only knows the
terror she might endure."
"You may be right," Cora replied, smiling
again, but far more sadly than before.  "Listen;
chance has already sent us a friend when he is
most needed."
Duncan did listen, and on the instant comprehended her meaning. The low, and serious sounds
of the sacred music, so well known to the eastern
provinces, caught his ear, and instantly drew him
to an apartment in an adjacent building, which
had, already, been deserted by its customary tenants.  There he found David, pouring out his
pious feelings, through the only medium in which
he ever indulged.  Duncan waited, until by the
cessation of the movement of the hand, he believed the strain was ended, when, by touching
his shoulder, he drew the attention of the other
to himself, and in a few words explained his wishes.
" Even so," replied the single minded disciple
of the King of Israel, when the young man had
ended, " I have found much that is comely and
melodious in the maidens, and it is fitting that we,
who have consorted in so much peril, should abide




252              THE LAST OF
together in peace. I will attend them, when I
have completed my morning praise, to which no.
thing is now wanting, but the doxology. Wilt
thou bear a part, friend? The metre is common,
and the tune known as' Southwell.'"
Then, extending the little volume, and giving
the pitch of the air, anew, with considerate attention, David re-commenced and finished his strains,
with a fixednessof manner that it was not easy to
interrupt.; Heyward was fain to wait until the
verse was ended; when seeing David relieving
himself from the spectacles, and replacing the
book, he continued-' It will be your duty, to see that none dare to
approach the ladies, with any rude intention, or
to offer insult or taunt at the misfortune of their
brave. father. In this task, you will be seconded
by the domestics of their household."
" Even so."
" It is possible, that the Indians and stragglers
of the enemy may intrude; in which case, you
will remind them of the terms of the capitulation,
and threaten to report their conduct to Montcalm.
A word will suffice."
-" If not, I have that here which shall," returned David, exhibiting his book, with an air, in
which meekness and confidence were singularly
blended.  "Here are words, which uttered, or
rather thundered, with proper emphasis, and in
measured time, shall quiet the most unruly temper.
" Why rage the heathen furiously!"-'Enough," said Heyward, interrupting the burst
of his musical invocation; "we undeistand each
other; it is time that we should, now, assume our
respective duties."
Gamut cheerfully assented, and together they




THE MOHICANS               253
immediately sought the maidens. Cora received
her new, and somewhat extraordinary, protector,
courteously at least; and even the pallid features
of Alice lighted, again, with. some of their native
archness, as she thanked Heyward for his care.
Duncan took occasion to assure them he had done
the best that circumstances permitted, and, as he
believed, quite enough for the security of their
feelings; of danger there was r ne.  He then
spoke gladly of his intention to rejoin them, the
moment he had led the advance a few miles towards the Hudson, and immediately took his leave.
By this time the signal of departure had been
given, and the head of the English column was
in motion.  The sisters started at the sound, and
glancing their eyes around, they saw the white
uniforms of the French grenadiers, who had, already, taken possession of the gates of the fort.
At that moment, an enormous cloud seemed to
pass suddenly above their heads, and looking upward, they discovered that they stood beneath the
wide folds of the spotless standard of France.
" Let us go," said Cora; ( this is no longer a
fit place for the children of an English officer!"
Alice clung to the arm of her sister, and together
they left the parade, accompanied by the moving
throng, that still surrounded them.
As they passed the gates, the French officers,
who had learned their rank, bowed often and low,
forbearing, however, to intrude those attentions,
which they saw, with peculiar tact, might not be
agreeable. As every vehicle, and each beast of
burthen, was occupied by the sick and wounded,
Cora had decided to endure the fatigues of a foot
march, rather than interfere with their comforts.
Indeed, many a mainled and feeble soldier was
compelled to drag his exhausted limbs, in the rear
V




254              THE LAST OF
of the co.umns, for the want of the necessary
means of conveyance, in that wilderness. The
whole, however, was in motion; the weak and
wounded, groaning, and in suffering; their comrades, silent, and sullen: and the women and children in terror, though they knew not of what.
As the confused and timid throng, left the protecting mounds of the fort, and issued on the open
plain, the whole scene was, at once, presented to
their eyes. At a little distance on the right, and
somewhat in the rear, the French army stood to
their arms, Montcalm having collected his parties,
so soon as his guards had possession of the works.
They were attentive; but silent observers of the
proceedings of the vanquished, failing in none of
the stipulated military honours, and offering no
taunt or insult, in their success, to their less fortunate foes. Living masses of the English, to the
amount, in the whole, of near three thousand,
were moving slowly across the plain, towards the
common centre, and gradually approached each
other, as they converged to the point of their
marci, a vista cut through the lofty trees, where.he road to the Hudson entered the forest. Along
the sweeping borders of the woods, hung a dark
cloud of savages, eyeing the passage of their enemies, and hovering, at a distance, like vultures,
ewho were only kept from stooping on their prey,
by the presence and restraint of a superior army.
A few had straggled among the conquered columns,
where they stalked, in sullen discontent; attentive,
thotlgh, as yet, passive observers of all that moving
multitude.
The advance, with Heyward at its head, had
already reached the defile, and was slowly disappearing, when the attention of Cora was drawn to
a collection of stragglers, by the sounds of conten




THE MOHICANS.              255
tion. A truant provincial was paying the forfeit
of'his disobedience, by being plundered of those
very effects, which had caused him to desert his
place in the ranks. The man was of powerful
frame, and too avaricious to part with his goods,
without a struggle. Individuals from either party
interfered; the one side to prevent, and the other
to aid in the robbery. Voices grew  loud and
angry, and a hundred savages appeared, as it were,
by magic, where a dozen only had been seen, a
few minutes before. It was then that Cora saw
the form of Magua, gliding among his countrymen,
and speaking, with his fatal and artful eloquence.
The mass of women and children stopped, and
hovered together, like  alarmed  and  fluttering
birds. But the cupidity of the Indian was soon
gratified, and the different bodies again moved
slowly -onward.
The savages now fell back, and seemed content
to let their enemies advance, without further molestation. -But as the female crowd approached
them, the gaudy colours of a shawl attracted the
eyes of a wild and untutored Huron. He advanced
to seize it, without the least hesitation. The womall. more in terror than through love of the'ornament, wrapped her child in the coveted article,
and folded both more closely to her bosom. Cora
was in the act of speaking, with an intent to advise
the woman to abandon the trifle, when the savage
relinquished his hold of the shawl, and tor -tlhe
screaming infant from  her arms.  Abandoning
every thing to the greedy grasp of those aroud
her. the mother darted, with distraction in her
mien, to reclaim her child. The Indian smiled
grimly, and extended one hand, in sign of a willingness to exchange, while, with the other, he
flourished the babe above his head, holding it by




256             TTHE LAST OF
the feet, as if to enhance the value of the ran
som.
"l ere-here-there-all-any-every thing!'
exclaimed the breathless woman; tearing the lighter articles of dress from her person, with illdirected and trembling fingers-" Take all, but
give me my babe!"
The savage spurned the worthless rags, and
perceiving that the shawl had already become a
prize to another, his bantering, but sullen smile,
changing to a gleam of ferocity, he dashed the
head of the infant against a rock, and cast its
quivering remains to her very feet. For an instant, the mother stood, like a statue of despair,
looking wildly down at the unseemly object, which
had so lately nestled in her bosom and smiled in
her face; and then she raised her eyes and countenance towards heaven, as if calling on God to
curse the perpetrator of the foul deed.  She was
spared the sin of such a prayer; for, maddened at
his disappointment, and excited by the sight of
blood, the Huron mercifully drove his tomahawk,into her own brain. The mother sunk under the
blow, and fell, grasping at her child, in death, with
the same engrossing love, that had caused her to
cherish it, when living.
At that dangerous moment Magua placed his
hands to his mouth, and raised the fatal and appalling whoop.  The scattered Indians started at
the well known cry, as coursers bound at the signal
to quit the goal; and, directly, there arose such a
yell along the plain, and through the ai ches of the
wood, as seldom birsted from human lips before.
They who heard it, listened with a curdling horror at the heart, little inferior to that dread which
may be expected to attend the blasts of the final
summons.




THE MOHICANS.              257
More than two thousand raging savages broke
from the forest at the signal, and threw themselves
across the fatal plain with instinctive alacrity. We
shall not dwell on the revolting horrors that succeeded. Death was every where, and in his most
terrific and disgusting aspects.  Resistance only
served to inflame the murderers, who inflicted
their furious blows long after their victims were
beyond the power of their resentment. The flow
of blood might be likened to the outbreaking of
a gushing torrent; and as the natives became heated and maddened by the sight, many among them
even kneeled to the earth, and drank freely, ex.
ultingly, hellishly, of the crimson tide.
The trained bodies of the troops threw themselves, quickly, into solid masses, endeavouring
to awe their assailants by the imposing appearance
of a military front.  The experiment in some
measure succeeded, though far too many suffered
their unloaded muskets to be torn from their hands.
in the vain hope of appeasing the savages.
In such a scene, none had leisure to note the
fleeting moments. It might have been ten minutes, (it seemed an age,) that the sisters had stood,
riveted to one spot, horrol-stricken, and nearly
helpless.  When the first blow was struck, their
screaming companions had pressed upon them in a
body, rendering flight impossible; and now that
fear or death had scattered most, if not all, from
around them, they saw no avenue open, but such
as conducted to the tomahawks of their foes.  On
every side arose shrieks, groans, exhortations, and
curses. At this moment, Alice caught a glimpse
of the vast form of her father, moving rapidly
across the plain, in the direction of the French
army.  He was, in truth, proceeding to Montcalm, fearless of every danger, to claim the tardy
Y a




258              THE LAST OF
escort, for which he had before conditioned. Fifty
glittering axes, and barbed spears, were offered
unheeded at his life, but the savages respected hi?
rank and calmness, even in their greatest fury.
The dangerous weapons were brushed aside by the
still nervous arm of the veteran, or fell of themselves, after menacing an act, that it would seem
no one had courage to perform.  Fortunately, the
vindictive Magua was searching his victim in the
very band the veteran had just quitted.
"Father- father-we are here!" shrieked Alice,
as he passed, at no great distance, without appearing to heed them.  "Come to us, father, or we
die!"
The cry was repeated, and in terms and tones,
that might have melted a heart of stone, but it
was unanswered.  Once, indeed, the old man appeared to catch the sounds, for he paused, and listened; but Alice had dropped senseless on the
earth, and Cora had sunk at her side, hovering, in
untiring tenderness, over her lifeless form. Munro
shook his head, in disappointment, and proceeded,
bent on the high duty of his responsible station..
" Lady," said Gamut, who, helpless and useless
as he was, had not yet dreamed of deserting his
trust, " it is the jubilee of the devils, and this is
not a meet place for christians to tarry in.  Let
us up and fly!"
" Go," said Cora, still gazing at her uncon
scious sister; " save thyself.  To me thou canst
not be of further use."
David comprehended the unyielding character
of her resolution, by the simple, but expressive,
gesture, that accompanied her words.  He gazed,
for a moment, at the dusky forms that were acting
their hellish rites on every side of him, and his
tall person grew  more erect) while his chest




THE MOHICANS.              2 59
heaved, and every feature swelled, and seemed to
speak with the power of the feelings by which he
was governed.
"If the Jewish boy might tame the evil spirit
of Saul, by the sound of his harp, and the words
of sacred song, it may not be amiss," he said, "to
try the potency of music here."
Then raising his voice to its highest tones, he
poured out a strain so powerful as to be heard,
even amid the din of that bloody field.  MIore
than one savage rushed towards them, thinking to
rifle the unprotected sisters of their attire, and
bear away their scalps; but when they found this
strange and unmoved figure, riveted to his post,
they paused to listen. Astonishment soon changed
to admiration, and they passed on to other, and
less courageous victims, openly expressing their
satisfaction at the firmness with which the white
warrior sung his death song.  Encouraged and deluded by his success, David exerted all his powers
to extend what he believed so holy an influence.
The unwonted sounds caught the ears of a distant
savage, who flew, raging from group to group,
like one who, scorning to touch the vulgar herd,
hunted for some victim  more worthy of his renown.  It was Magua, who uttered a yell of pleasure when he beheld his ancient prisoners again at
his mercy.
" Come," he said, laying his soiled hand on the
dress of Cora, "the wigwam  of the Huron is
open.  Is it not better than this place?"
"Away!" cried Cora, veiling her eyes fiom his
revolting aspect.
The Indian laughed tauntingly as he held up his
reeking hand, and answered-" It is red, but it
comes from white veinsl"




260               THE LAST OF
"' Monster! there is blood, oceans of blood,
upor thy soul; thy spirit has moved this scene.'
"Magua is a great chief!" returned the exult
ing savage-" will the dark-hair go to his tribe?"
"Never! strike, if thou wilt, and complete thy
hellish revenge."
He hesitated a moment; and then catching the
light and senseless form of Alice in his arms, the
subtle Indian moved swiftly across the plain to
ward the woods.
"Hold!" shrieked Cora, following wildly on
his footsteps, "release the child! wretch! what
is't you do!"
But Magua was deaf to her voice; or rather he
knew his power, and was determined to maintain
it.
" Stay —lady-stay," called Gamut, after the
unconscious Cora.  "The holy charm  is beginning to be felt, and soon sh'alt thou see this horrid tumult stilled."
Perceiving that, in his turn, he was unheeded,
the faithful David followed the distracted sister
raising his voice again in sacred song, and sweeping the air to the measure, with his long arm, its
diligent accompaniment.  In this manner they
traversed the plain, through the flying, the wound
ed, and the dead.  The fierce Huron was, at any
time, sufficient for himself and the victim that he
bore; though Cora would have fallen, more than
once, under the blows of her savage enemies, but
for the extraordinary being who stalked in her
rear, and who now appeared to the astonished na
tives gifted with the protecting spirit of madness.
Magua, who knew how to avoid the more pressing dangers, and, also, to elude pursuit, entered
the woods through a low ravine, where he quickly found the Narragansetts, which the travellers




'THE MOHICANS.              261
had abandoned so shortly before, awaiting his ap
pearance, in custody of a savage as fierce and as
malign in his expression as himself. Laying Alice
on one of the horses, he made a sign for Cora to
mount the other.
Notwithstanding the horror excited by the presenlce of her captor, there was a present relief in
escaping from the bloody scene enacting on the
plain, to which the maiden could not be altogether
insensible.  She took her seat, and held forth her
arms for her sister, with an air of entreaty and
love, that even the Huron could not deny. Placing
Alice, then, on the same animal with Cora, he
seized the bridle, and commenced his route by
plunging deeper into the forest. David, perceiving that he was left alone, utterly disregarded, as a
subject too worthless even to destroy, threw his
long limb across the saddle of the beast they had
deserted, and made such progress in the pursuit,
as the difficulties of the path permitted.
They soon began to ascend; but as the motion
had a tendency to revive the dormant faculties of
her sister, the attention of Cora was too much
divided between the tenderest solicitude in her
behalf, and in listening to the cries, which were
still too audible on the plain, to note the direction
in which they journeyed.  When, however, they
gained the flattened surface of the mountain top,
and approached the eastern precipice, she recognized the spot to which she had, once before, been
led, under the more friendly auspices of the scout.
Here Magua suffered them to dismount, and, not
withstanding their own captivity, the curiosity
which seems inseparable from  horror, induced
them to gaze at the sickening sight below.
The cruel work was still unchecked. On every
side the captured were flying before their relent



262      THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
less persecutors, while the armed columns of the
Christian King stood fast, in an arathy which has
never been explained, and which has left an immoveable blot on the, otherwise, fair escutcheon
of their leader.  Nor was the sword of death
stayed, until cupidity got the mastery of revenge.
Then, indeed, the shrieks of the wounded, and
the yells of their murderers, grew less frequent,
until finally the cries of horror were lost to their
ear, or were drowned in the loud, long and piercing
whoops of the triumphant savages.




CHAPTER XVII.
"Why, any thing:
An honourable murderer, if you will;
For naught I did in hate, but all in honour." —Othe1U.
THE bloody and inhuman scene which we have
rather incidentally mentioned than described, in
the close of the preceding volume, is conspicuous
in the pages of colonial history, by the merited
title of "The Massacre of William  Henry."  It
so far deepened the stain which a previous and
very similar event had left upon the reputation
of the French commander, that it was not entirely
erased by his early and glorious death.  It is now
becoming obscured by time; and thousands, who
know that Montcalm died like a hero on the plains
of Abraham, have yet to learn how. much he was
deficient in that moral courage, without which no
man can be truly great.  Pages might be written
to prove, from this illustrious example, the defects
of human excellence; to show how easy it is for
generous sentiments, high courtesy, and chivalrous courage, to lose their influence beneath the
chilling ascendency of mistaken selfishness, and
to exhibit to the world a man who was great in
all the minor attributes of character, but who was
found wanting, when it became necessary to prove




264              THE LAST OF
how much principle is superior to policy.  But
Lhe task would exceed our fanciful prerogatives;
and, as history, like love, is so apt to surround her
heroes with an atmosphere of imaginary brightness, it is probable that Louis de Saint Veran will
be viewed by posterity only as the gallant defender of his country, while his cruel apathy on
the shores of the Oswego and of the Horican, will
be forgotten. Deeply regretting this weakness on
the part of our sister muse, we shall at once retire
from her sacred precincts, within the proper limits of our own humble vocation.
The third day from the capture of the fort was
drawing to a close, but the business of the narrative must still detain the reader on the shores of
the "holy lake."  When last seen, the environs
of the works were filled with violence and uproar.
They were now, emphatically, possessed by stillness and death.  The blood-stained conquerors
had departed; and their camp, which had so lately rung with the merry rejoicings of a victorious
army, lay a silent and deserted city of huts. The
fortress was a smouldering ruin; charred rafters,
fragments of exploded artillery, and rent masonwork, covering its earthen mounds, in confused
and negligent disorder.
A frightful change had also occurred in the season. The sun had hid its warmth behind an impenetrable mass of vapour, and hundreds of human
forms, which had blackened beneath the fierce heats
of August, were stiffening in their deformity, before the blasts of a premature November. The curling and spotless mists, which had been seen sailing above the hills, towards the north, were now
returning in an interminable dusky sheet, tl:at was
urged along by the fury of a tempest. The crowded mirror of the Horican was gone; and, in its




THE MOHICArS.               265
place, the green and angry waters lashed the shores,
as if indignantly casting back its impurities to the
polluted strand. Still, the clear fountain retained
a portion of its charmed influence; but it reflected
only the sombre gloom that fell from the impending heavens.  That humid and congenial atmosphere which was wont about the view, veiling its
harshness, and softening its asperities, had disappeared, and the northern air poured across the
waste of water so harsh and unmingled, that nothing was left to be conjectured by the eye, or fashioned by the fancy.
The fiercer element had cropped the verdure
of the plain, which looked as though it were scathed by the consuming lightning.  But, here and
there, a dark green tuft rose in the midst of the
desolation; the earliest fruits of a soil that had
been fattened with human blood.  The whole
landscape, which, seen by a favouring light, and
in a genial temperature, had been found so lovely,
appeared now like some pictured allegory of life,
in which the objects were arrayed in their harshest but truest colours, and without the relief of
any shadowing.
The solitary and arid blades of grass arose from
the passing gusts fearfully perceptible; the bold
and rocky mountains were too distinct in their
barrenness, and the eye even sought relief, in vain,
by attempting to pierce the illimitable void of
heaven, which was shut to its gaze, by the dusky
sheet of ragged and driving vapour.
The wind blew unequally; sometimes sweeping
heavily along the ground, seeming to whisper its
moanings in the cold ears of the dead, then rising
in a shrill and mournful whistling, it entered the
forest with a rush that filled the air with the leaves
and branches it scattered in its path. Amid the
Z




266              THE LAST OF
unnatural shower, a few hungry raw ens struggled
with the gale; but no sooner was the green ocean
of woods, which stretched beneath them, passed,
than they gladly stooped, at random, to that hideous haven, where their revolting food so freely
abou ded.
In short, It was a scene of wildness and desolation; and it appeared as if all who had profanely
entered it, had been stricken, at a blow, by the
powerful and relentless arm of death. But the
prohibition had ceased; and, for the first time siree
the perpetrators of those foul deeds, which had
assisted to disfigure the scene, were gone, living
human beings had now presumed to approach the
dreary place.
About an hour before the setting of the sun, on
the day already mentioned, the forms of five men
might have been seen issuing from  the narrow
vista of trees, where the path to the Hudson en
tered the forest, and advancing in the direction
of the ruined works. At first their progress was
slow and guarded, as though they entered with
reluctance amid the horrors of the spot, or dreaded the renewal of some of its frightful incidents.
A light figure preceded the rest of the party, with
all the caution and activity of a native; ascending
every hillock to reconnoitre, and indicating, by
gestures, to his companions, the route he deemed
it most prudent they should pursue.  Nor were
those in the rear wanting in every caution and
foresight known to forest warfare.  One among
them, and he also was an Indian, moved a little
on one flank, and watcled the neighbouring mar.
gin of the woods, with eyes long accustomed to
read the smallest sign of approaching danger. The
remaining three were white, though clad in vestments strikingly adapted, both in quality and




THE AMOHICANS.              267
colour, to their present hazardous pursuit; that
of hanging on the skirts of a retiring army, in
the wilderness.
The effects produced by the appalling sights,
that constantly atose, in their path to the lake
shore, were as different as the characters tft the
respective individuals who composed the party.
The youth in front threw  serious but furtive
glances at the mangled victims, as he stepped
lightly across the plain, afraid to exhibit the natural emotions he endured, and yet too inexperienced to quell entirely their sudden and powerful influence. His red associate, however, was
superior to such a weakness.  He passed the
groupes of dead with a steadiness of purpose, and
an eye so calm, that nothing but long and inveterate practice could enable him to maintain.
The sensations produced in the minds of even
the white men, were different, though uniformly
sorrowful.  One, whose gray locks and furrowed
lineaments, blending with a martial air and tread,
betrayed, in spite of the disguise of a woodsman's
rough dress, a man long experienced in scenes of
war, was not ashamed to groan aloud, whenever a
spectacle of more than usual horror came under
his view.  The young man at his elbow shuddered, but seemed to suppress his feelings in
tenderness to his companion.  Of them  all, the
straggler who brought up the rear, appeared alone
to indulge, without fear of observation or dread
of consequences, in the feelings he experienced.
But with him, the offence seemed rather given to
the intellectual than to the physical man.  He
gazed at the most appalling sight with eyes and
muscles that knew not how to waver, but with
execrations so bitter and deep, as to denote how




268             THE LAST 0'
much he denounced the moral enormity of such a
butchery.
The reader will perceive, at orn.e, in these respective characters, the Mohicans, and their white
friend, the scout; together with Munro and Heyward. It was, in truth, the father in quest of his
children, attended by the youth who felt so deep
a stake in their happiness, and those brave and
trusty foresters, who had already proved their
skill and fidelity, through the trying scenes related.
When Uncas, who moved in front, had reached
the centre of the plain, he raised a cry that drew
his companions, in a body, to the spot. The young
warrior had halted over a groupe of females, who
lay in a cluster, a confused mass of dead.  Notwithstanding the revolting horror of the exhibi.
tion, Munro and Heyward flew towards the fester.
ing heap, endeavouring, with a love that no unseemliness could extinguish, to discover whether
any vestiges of those they sought, were to be seen
among the tattered and- many-coloured garments.
The father and the lover found instant relief in
the search; though each was condemned again to
experience the misery of an uncertainty, that was
hardly less insupportable than the most revolting
truth. They were standing, silent and thoughtful, around the melancholy pile, when the scout
approached.  Eyeing the sad spectacle with an
angry and flushed countenance, the sturdy woods.
man, for the first time since entering the plain,
spoke intelligibly and aloud.
" I have been on many a shocking field, and
have followed a trail of blood for weary miles,"
he said, " but never have I found the hand of the
devil so plain as it is here to be seen! Revenge is
an Indian feeling, and all who know me, know




THE MOHrCANS.              269
that there is no cross in my veins; but this much
will I say —here, in the face of heaven, and with
the power of the Lord so manifest in this howling wilderness, that should these Frenchers ever
trust themselves again within the range of a ragged bullet, there is one rifle shall play its part, so
long as flint will fire, or powder burn!-I leave
the tomahawk and knife to such as have a natural
gift to use them. What say you, Chingachgook,"
he added, in Delaware; "shall the red Hurons
boast of this to their women when the deep snows
come?"
A gleam of resentment flashed across the dark
lineaments of the Mohican chief; he loosened his
knife in his sheath; and: then turning calmly from
the sight, his countenance settled into a repose as
deep as if he never knew the influence or instigations of passion.
" Montcalm! Montcalm!" continued the deeply
resentful and less self-restrained scout; " they say
a time must come, when all the deeds done in the
flesh will be seen at a single look; and that by
eyes cleared from their mortal infirmities. Wo
betide the wretch who is born to behold this plain,
with the judgment hanging above his soul! Haas I am a man of white blood, yonder lies a redskin, without the hair of his head where nature
rooted it! Look to him, Delaware; it may be one
of your missing people; and he should have
burial like a stout warrior. I see it in your eye,
Sagamore; a Huron pays for this, afore the fall
winds have blown away the scent of the blood!"
Chingachgook approached the mutilated form,
and turning it over, he found the distinguishing
marks of one of those six allied tribes, or nations,
as they were called, who, while they fought in
the Eng'ish ranks, were so deadly hostile to his
Z2




270             THE LAST OF
own people.  Spurning the loathsome object with
his foot, he turned from it with the same indif.
ference he would have quitted a brute carcass.
The scout comprehended the action, and very
deliberately pursued his own way, continuing,
however, his denunciations against the French
commander in the same resentful strain.
"Nothing but vast wisdom and unlimited power
should dare to sweep off men in multitudes," he
added; " for it is only the one that can know the
necessity of the judgment; and what is there short
of the other, that can replace the creatures of the
Lord? I hold it a sin to kill the second buck
afore the first is eaten; unless a march in the front,
or an ambushment, be contemplated. It is a different matter with a few warriors in open and
rugged fight, for'tis their gift to die with the rifle
or the tomahawk in hand; according as their
natures may happen to be, white or red. Uncas,
come this way, lad, and let the raven settle upon
the Mingo.  I know, from  often seeing it, that
they have a craving for the flesh of an Oneida;
and it is as well to let the bird follow the gift of
its natural appetite."
"Hugh!" exclaimed the young Mohican, rising
on the extremities of his feet, and gazing intently
in his front, frightening away the raven to some
other prey, by the sound and the action.
" What is it, boy?" whispered the scout, lowering his tall form into a-crouching attitude, like a
panther about to take his leap; " God send it be
a tardy Frencher, skulking for plunder.  I do
believe' killdeer' would take an uncommon range
to-day!"
Uncas, without making any reply, bounded
away from the spot, and in the next instant was
seen tearing from a bush, and waving, in triumph,




THE MOHICANS.              271
a fragment of the green riding veil of Cora. The
movement, the exhibition, and the cry, which
again burst from the lips of the young Mohican,
instantly drew the whole party, once more, about
him.
" My child!" said Munro, speaking quick and
wildly; "give me my child!"
"'Uncas will try," was the short and touching
answer.
The simple, but meaning assurance, was lost on
the agitated father, who seized the piece of the
veil, and crushed it in his hand, while his eyes
roamed fearfully among the adjacent bushes, as if
he equally dreaded and hoped for the secrets they
might reveal.
" Here are no dead!" said Heyward, in a voice
that was hollow and nearly stifled by apprehension; " the storm seems not to have passed this
way."
" That's manifest; and clearer than the heavens
above our heads," returned the cool and undisturbed scout; " but either she, or they that have
robbed her, have passed the bush; for I remember
the rag she wore to hide a face that all did love to
look upon. Uncas, you are right; the dark-hair
has been here, and she has fled, like a frighted
fawn, to the wood; none who could fly would
remain to be murdered! Let us have a search for
the marks she left; for to Indian eyes, I sometimes think even a humming-bird leaves his trail
in the air!"
The young Mohican darted away at the suggestion, and the scout had hardly done speaking,
before the former raised a cry of success from the
margin of the forest.  On reaching the spot, the
anxious party perceived another portion of the
veil fluttering on the lower branch of a beech.




272             THE LAST OF
" Softly, softly," said the scout, extending his
long rifle in front of the eager Heyward; " we
now know our work, but the beauty of the trail
must not be deformed. A step too soon may give
us hours of trouble. We have them though; that
much is beyond denial!"
" Bless ye, bless ye! worthy man!" exclaimed
the agitated father; " whither then have they fled,
and where are my babes?"
"The path they have taken depends on many
chances. If they have gone alone, as they are
quite as likely to move in a circle as straight, they
may be within a dozen miles of us; but if the
Hurons, or-any of the French Indians, have laid
hands on them,'tis probable they are now near
the borders of the Canadas. But what matters
that!" continued the deliberate scout, observing
the powerful anxiety and disappointment the
listeners exhibited; "here are the Mohicans and
I on one end of the trail, and we'll find the other,
though they should be a hundred leagues asunder!
Gently, gently, Uncas, you are as impatient as a
man in the settlements; you forget that light feet
leave but faint marks!"
"'Hugh!" exclaimed Chingachgook, who had
been occupied in examining an opening that had
been evidently made through the low underbrush,
which skirted the forest; and who now stood
erect, as he pointed downwards, in the attitude
and with the air of a man, who beheld a disgusting
serpent.
"Here is the palpable impression of the footstep of a man!" cried Heyward, bending over the
indicated spot; " he has trod in the margin of this
pool, and the mark cannot be mistaken. They
are captives!"
" Better so than left to starve in the wilder



THE AIOHICANS.             273
ness," returned the scout; " and they will leave a
wider trail. I would wager fifty beaver skins to
as many flints, that the Mohicans and I enter their
wigwams within the month! Stoop to it, Uncas,
and try what you can make of that moccasin; for
moccasin it plainly is, and no shoe."
The young Mohican bent over the track, and
removing the scattered leaves from  around the
place, he examined it with much of that sort of
scrutiny, that a money-dealer, in these days of
pecuniary doubts, would bestow on a suspected
due-bill. At length, he arose from his knees, as/
if satisfied with the result of the examination.
"Well, boy," demanded the attentive scout,
" what does it say? can you make any thing of
the tell-tale?"
Le Renard Subtil!"
"Ha! that rampaging devil again! there never
will be an end of his loping, till'kill-deer' has
said a friendly word to him."
Heyward reluctantly admitted the truth of this
intelligence, and now expressed rather his hopes,
than his doubts, by saying" One moccasin is so much like another, it is
probable there is some mistake."
" One moccasin like another! you may as well
say that one foot is like another; though we all
know, that some are long, and others short; some
broad, and others narrow; some with high, and
some with low, insteps; some in-toed, and some
out! One moccasin is no more like another, than
one book is like another; though they who can
read in one, are seldom able to tell the marks of
the other. Which is all ordered for the best,
giving to every man his natural advantages. Let
me get down to it, Uncas; neither book nor moccasin is the worse for having two opinions, instead




274              THE LAST OF
of one."  The scout stooped to the task, and in
stantly added, "you are right, boy; here is the
patlch we saw so often on the other chase. And
the fellow will drink when he can get an opportunity; your drinking Indian always learns to
walk with a wider toe than the natural savage, it
being the gift of a drunkard, whether of a white
or red skin.'Tis just the length and breadth too!
look at it, Sagamore; you measured the prints
more than once, when we hunted the varments
from Glenn's to the health-springs.
Chingachgook complied, and after finishing his
short examination, he arose, and with a quiet and
grave demeanour, he merely pronounced, though
with a foreign accent, the word"Magua."
"Ay,'tis a settled thing; here then have passed the dark hair and Magua."
"And not Alice?" demanded the startled Heyward.
" Of her we have not yet seen the signs," returned the scout, looking closely around at the
trees, the bushes, and the ground.  "What have
we there! Uncas, bring hither the thing you see
dangling from yonder thorn-bush."
When the youthful Indian warrior had complied, the scout received the prize, and holding it on
high, he laughed in his silent but heartfelt manner, before he said"'Tis the tooting we'pon of the singer! now
we shall have a trail a priest might travel. Uncas,
look for the marks of a shoe that is long enough
to uphold six feet two of tottering human flesh.
I begin to have some hopes of the fellow, since he
has given up squalling, to follow, perhaps some
better trade."
" At least he has been faithful to his trust," said




THE MOHICANS.              275
Heyward; "and Cora and Alice are not without
a friend."
Yes," said Hawk-eye, dropping his rifle, and
leaning on it with an air of visible contempt, "he
will do their singing! Can he slay a buck for
their dinner; journey by the moss on the beeches,
or cut the throat of a Huron? If not, the first catbird he meets is the cleverest fellow of the two.
Well, boy, any signs of such a foundation?"
"Here is something like the footstep of one
who has worn a shoe," said Heyward, gladly
changing the discourse from'the abuse of David,
to whom he now felt the strongest tie of gratitude;
" can it be that of our friend?"
" Touch the leaves lightly, or you'll disconsart
the formation. That! that is the print of a foot,
but'tis the dark hair's; and small it is, too, for
one of such a noble heighth and grand appearance!
The singer would cover it with his heel!"
"Where! let me look on the footsteps of my
child!" said Munro, eagerly shoving the bushes
aside, and bending fondly over the nearly obliterated impression. Though the tread, which had
left the mark, had been light and rapid, it was
still very plainly visible. The aged soldier examined it with eyes that grew dim as he gazed;
nor did he rise from  h.s stooping posture, until
Heyward saw that he had watered the graceful
trace of his daughter's passage, with a scalding and
heavy tear. Willing to divert a distress which
threatened, each noment, to break through the restraint of appearances, by gi ring the veteran something to do, the young manl said to the scout" As we now possess these infallible sigtas, let us
commence our march. A moment, at such a time,
will appear an age to the captives."




276              THE I AST OF
" It is not the swiftest leaping deer that gives the
longest chase," retu:ned Hawk-eye, without moving his eyes from considering the different marks
that had come under his view; " we know that
the rampaging Huron has passed-and the dark
hair-and the singer-but where is she of the yellow locks and blue eyes?  Though little, and far
fiom being as bold as her sister, she is fair to the
view, and pleasant in discourse. Has she no friend,
that none care for her?"
"God forbid she should ever want hundreds!
Are we not now in her pursuit? for one, I will
never cease the search till she be found!"
"In that case we may have to journey by different paths; for here she has not passed, light and
little as her footsteps would be."
Heyward drew back, all his ardour to proceed
seeming to vanish on the instant. Without attending to this sudden change in the other's humour, the scout, after musing a moment, continued" There is no woman in this wilderness could
leave such a print as that, but the dark-hair, or
her sister! We know that the first has been here,
but where are the signs of the other? Let us push
deeper on the trail, and if nothing offers, we must
go back to the plain, and strike another scent.
Move on, Uncas, and keep your eyes on the dried leaves. I will watch the bushes, while your
father shall run with a low nose to the ground.
Move on, friends: the sun is getting behind the
hills'
"Is there nothing that I can do?" demanded
Lne anxious Heyward.
"You!" repeated the scout, who, with his ed
friends, was already advancing in the ordei he




THE MOHICANS.              277
had prescribed; " yes, you can keep in our rear,
and be careful not to cross the trail."
Before they had proceeded many rods, the Indians stopped, and appeared to gaze at some signs
on the earth, with more than their usual keenness.
Both father and son spoke quick and loud, now
looking at the object of their mutual admiration,
and now  regarding each other with the most
unequivocal pleasure.
"They have found the little foot!" exclaimed
the scout, moving forward, without attending further to his own portion of the duty. " What have
we here! An ambushment has been planted in the
spot! No, by the truest rifle on the frontiers, here
have been them one-sided horses again! Now the
whole secret is out, and all is plain as the north
star at midnight. Yes, here they have mounted.
There the beasts have been bound to a sapling, in
waiting; and yonder runs the broad path away to
the north, in full sweep for the Canadas."
" But still there are no signs of Alice-of the
younger Miss Munro," said Duncan.
" Unless the shining bauble Uncas has just
lifted from the ground, should prove one. Pass
it this way, lad, that we may look at it."
Heyward instantly knew it for a trinket, that
Alice was fond of wearing, and which he recollected, with the tenacious memory of a lover, to
have seen on the fatal morning of the massacre,
dangling from the fair neck of his mistress. He
seized the highly prized jewel, and as he proclaimed the fict, it vanished from the eyes of the
wondering scout, who in vain looked for it on the
ground, long after it was warmly pressed against
the beating heart of Duncan.
"Pslaw!". said the disappointed Hawk-eye,
2A




278              THE LAST OF
ceasing to rake the leaves with the breech of his
rifle; "'tis a certain sign of age, when the sight
begins to weaken.  Such a glittering gewgaw,
and not to be seen! Well, well, I can squint along
a clouded barrel yet, and that is enough to settle
all disputes between me and the Mingoes.  J
should like to find the thing too, if it were only
to carry it to the right owner, and that would be
bringing the two ends of what I call a long trail
together-for by this time the broad St. Lawrence, or perhaps, even the Great Lakes, arp
atwixt us."
" So much the more reason why we should not
delay our march," returned Heyward; let us proceed."
"Young blood and hot blood, they say, are
much the same thing.  We are not about to start
on a squirrel hunt, or to drive a deer into the
Horican, but to outlie for days and nights, and to
stretch across a wilderness where the feet of men
seldom  go, and where no bookish knowledge
would carry you through, harmless.  An Indian
never starts on such an expedition without smoking over his council fire; and though a man of
white blood, I honour their customs in this par.
ticular, seeing that they are deliberate and wise.
We will, therefore, go back, and light our fire to
night in the ruins of the old fort, and in the morning we shall be fresh, and ready to undertake our
work like men, and not like babbling women, or
eager boys."
Heyward instantly saw, by the manner of the
scout, that altercation would be useless.  Munro
had again sunk into that sort of apathy which had
beset him  since his late overwhelming misfortunes, and from which he was, apparently, to be




THE MOHICANS.             279
roused only by some new and powerful excitemnent  Making a merit of necessity, the young
man took the veteran by the arm, and followed in
the footsteps of the Indians and the scout, who
had already begun to retrace the path which conducted them to the plain.




CEAPTER XIX.
Salar. " Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take his fletsh
what's that good for?
Shy. " To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else, it will feed
my revenge."                          Shakspearc.
THE shades of evening had come to increase
the dreariness of the place, when the party entered the ruins of William  Henry.  The scout
and his companions immediately made their preparations to pass the night there; but with an
earnestness and sobriety of demeanour, that betrayed how much the unusual horrors they had
just witnessed, worked on even their practised
feelings. A few fragments of rafters were reared
against a blackened wall; and when Uncas had
covered them slightly with brush, the temporary
accommodations were deemed sufficient.  The
young Indian pointed impressively toward his
rude hut, when his labour was ended; and Heyward, who understood the meaning of the silent
gesture, gently urged Munro to enter. Leaving
the bereaved old man alone with his sorrows,
Duncan immediately returned into the open air,
too much excited himself to seek the repose he
had recommended to his veteran friend.
While Hawk-eye and the Indians lighted their
fire, and took their evening's repast, a frugal meal
of dried bear's meat, the young man paid a visit
to that curtain of the dilapidated fort, which
looked out on the sheet of the Horican.  The
wind had fallen, and the waves were already
rolling on the sandy beach beneath him, in a
more regular and  tempered  succession.  The
clouds, as if tired of their furious chase, were




THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.    281
breaking asunder; the heavier volumes, gathering
in black masses about the horizon, while the
lighter scud still hurried above the water, or
eddied among the tops of the mountains, like
broken flights of birds, hovering around their
roosts.  Here and there, a red and fiery star
struggled through the drifting vapour, furnishing
a lurid gleam of brightness to the dull aspect of
the heavens. Within the bosom of the encircling
hills, an impenetrable darkness had already settled, and the plain lay like a vast and deserted
charnel-house, without omen or whisper, to disturb the slumbers of its numerous and hapless
tenants.
Of this scene, so chillingly in accordance with
the past, Duncan stood, for many minutes, a rapt
observer. His eyes wandered from the bosom of
the mound, where the foresters were seated around
their glimmering fire, to the fainter light, which
still lingered in the skies, and then rested long
and anxiously on the embodied gloom, which lay
like a dreary void on that side of him where
reposed the dead. He soon fancied that inexplicable sounds arose from the place, though so
indistinct and stolen, as to render not only their
nature, but even their existence, uncertain. Asham.
ed of his apprehensions, the young man turned
towards the water, and strove to divert his attention to the mimic stars, that dimly glimmered
along its moving surface. Still, his too conscious
ears performed their ungrateful duty, as if to warn
him of some lurking danger. At length, a swift
trampling seemed, quite audibly, to rush athwart
the darkness.  Unable any longer to quiet his
uneasiness, Duncan spoke in a low voice to the
scout, requesting him to ascend the mound, to the
place where he stood.  Hawk-eye threw his rifle
2A2




28              THE LAST OF
across an arm, and complied, but with an air so
unmoved and calm, as to prove how much he ac —
counted on the security of their position.
"Listen," said Duncan, wlen the other had
placed himself deliberately at his elbow; "there
are suppressed noises on the plain, which may
show that Montcalm has not yet entirely deserted
liis conquest."
"Then ears are better than eyes," said the undisturbed scout, who having just deposited a portion of a bear between his grinders, spoke thick
and slow, like one whose mouth was doubly occupied; ", myself, saw him caged in Ty, with all
his host; for your Frenchers, when they have
done a clever thing, like to get back, and have a
dance, or a merry-making, over their success."
" I know not. An Indian seldom sleeps in war,
and plunder may keep a Huron here, after his
tribe has departed.  It would be well to extinguish the fire, and have a watch-Listen! you
hear the noise I mean'' An Indian more rarely lurks about the graves,
Though ready to slay, and not over regardful of
the means, he is commonly content with the scalp,
unless when blood is hot, and temper up; but after the spirit is once fairly gone, he forgets his
enmity, and is willing to let the dead find their
natural rest. Speaking of spirits, major, are you
of opinion that the heaven of a red-skin, and of us
whites, will be one and the same?"
"No doubt-no doubt.  I thought I heard it
again! or was it the rustling of the leaves in the
top of the beech?"
"For my own part," continued Hawk-eye,turuing his face, for a moment, in the direction indi.
cated by Heyward, but with a vacant and careless
manner,   I believe that paradise is ordained for




THE MOHICANS.               283
happiness; and that men will be indulged in it according to their dispositions- and gifts.  I there.
fore judge, that a red-skin is not far from the truth,
when he believes he is to find them glorious hunting grounds of which his traditions tell; nor, for
that matter, do I think it would be any disparagement to a man without a cross, to pass his time —
" You hear it again!" interrupted Duncan.
"Ay, ay; when food is scarce, and when food
is plenty, a wolf grows bold," said the unmoved
scout.  "There would be picking, too, among the
skins of the devils, if there was light and time for
the sport! But, concerning the life that is to come,
major. I have heard preachers say, in the settlements, that heaven was a place of rest. Now
men's minds differ as to their ideas of enjoyment.
For myself, and I say it with reverence to the
ordering of Providence, it would be no great inlulgence to be kept shut up in those mansions of
which they preach, having a natural longing for
motion and the chase."
Duncan, who was now made to understand the
nature of the noises he had heard, answered, with
more attention to the subject which the humour
of the scout had chosen for discussion, by saying" It is difficult to account for the feelings that
may attend the last great change."
" It would be a change indeed, for a man who
has passed his days in the open air," returned the
single minded scout; "and who has so often bro
ken his fast on the head waters of the Hudson, to
sleep within sound of the roaring Mohawk! But
it is a comfort to know we serve a merciful Master, though we do it each after his fashion, and
with great tracts of wilderness atween us-What
goes there?"




284             THE LAST OF
"Is it not the rushing of the wolves, as you
have mentioned?"
Hawk-eye slowly shook his head, and beckoned for Duncan to follow him to a spot, whither
the glare from the fire did not extend. When he
had taken this precaution, the scout placed himself in an attitude of intense attention, and listened, long and keenly, for a repetition of the low
sound that had so unexpectedly startled him. His
vigilance, however, seemed exercised in vain; for,
after a fruitless pause, he whispered to Duncan" We must give a call to Uncas. The boy has
Indian senses, and may hear what is hid from us:
for, being a white-skin, I will not deny my nature."
The young Mohican, who was conversing in a
low voice with his father, started as he heard the
moaning of an owl, and springing on his feet, he
looked toward the black mounds, as if seeking the
place whence the sounds proceeded. The scout
repeated the call, and in a few moments, Duncan
saw the figure of Uncas stealing cautiously along
the rampart, to the spot where they stood.
Hawk-eye explained his wishes in a very few
words, which were spoken in the Delaware tongue.
So soon as Uncas was in possession of the reason
why he was summoned, he threw himself flat on
the turf; where, to the eyes of Duncan, he appear
ed to lie quiet and motionless. Surprised at the
immovable attitude of the young warrior, and
curious to observe the manner in which he em
ployed his faculties to obtain the desired information, Heyward advanced a few steps, and bent
over the dark object, on which he had kept his
eyes intently riveted. Then it was he discovered that the form of Uncas had vanished, and that
he beheld only the dark outline of an inequality
in the embankment.




THE MOHICANS.              285
"What has become of the Mohican?" he demanded of the scout, stepping back in amazement;
" it was here that I saw him fall, and I could have
sworn that here he yet remained!"
"Hist! speak lower; for we know not what
ears are open, and the Mingoes are a quick-witted breed.  As for Uncas, he is out on the plain,
and the Maquas, if any such are about us, will find
their equal."
" You then think that Montcalm has not called
off all his Indians! Let us give the alarm to our
companions, that we may stand by our arms.
Here are five of us, who are not unused to meet
an enemy."
" Not a word to either, as you value life! Look
at the Sagamore, how like a grand Indi'an chief
ihe sits by the fire! If there are any skulkers out
in the darkness, they will never discover, by his
countenance, that we suspect danger to be at
hand!"
"But they may discover him, and it will prove
his death. His person can be too plainly seen by
the light of that fire, and he will become the first
and most certain victim!"
"It is undeniable, that now you speak the
truth," returned the scout, betraying more of
anxiety in his manner than was usual; " yet what
can be-done! A  single suspicious look might
bring on an attack before we are ready to receive
it. He knows, by the call I gave to Uncas, that
we have struck a scent; I will tell him that we
are on the trail of the Mingoes; his Indian nature
will teach him how to act."
The scout then applied his fingers to his mouth,
and raised a low hissing sound, that caused Duncan, at first, to start aside, believing that he heard
a serpent.  The head of Chingachook was rest



286             THE LAST OF
ing on a hand, as he sat musing by himself; but
the moment he heard the warning of the animal
whose name he bore, it arose to an upright position, and his dark eyes glanced swiftly and keenly
on every side of him. With this sudden and perhaps involuntary movement, every appearance of
surprise or alarm was ended. His rifle lay untouched, and apparently unnoticed, within reach of his
hand. The tomahawk that he had loosened in his
belt, for the sake of ease, was even suffered to fall
from its usual situation to the ground, and his form
seemed to sink, like that of a man whose nerves
and sinews were buffered to relax for the purpose
of rest. Cunningly resuming his former position,
though with a change of hands, as if the movement had been made merely to relieve the limb,
the native awaited the result with a calmness and
fortitude, that none but an Indian warrior would
have known how to exercise.
But Heyward saw, that while to a less instructed eye the Mohican chief appeared to slumber, his
nostrils were expanded, his head was turned a little to one side, as if to assist the organs of hearing,
and that his quick and rapid glances ran incessantly over every object, within the power of his
vision.
" See the noble fellow!" whispered Hawk-eye
pressing the arm of Heyward; " he knows that a
look, or a motion, might disconsart our wisdom,
and put us at the mercy of them imps-"
He was interrupted by the flash and report of a
rifle. The air was filled with sparks of fire, around
that spot where the eyes of Heyward were still
fastened, with admiration and wonder. A second
look told him, that Chingachgook had disappeared in the confusion.  In the mean time, the scout
haq thrown forward his rifle, like one prepared




THE MOHICANS.               287
for instant service, and awaited, impatiently, the
moment, when an enemy might rise to view. But
with the solitary and fruitless attempt made on
the life of Chingachgook, the attack appeared to
have terminated.  Once or twice the listeners
thought they could distinguish the distant rustling
of bushes, as bodies of some unknown description
rushed through them; nor was it long before
Hawk-eye pointed out the "scampering of the
wolves," as if they fled precipitately before the
passage of some intruders on their proper domains.
After an impatient and breathless pause of several
minutes, a plunge was heard into the water, and
was immediately succeeded by the report of another rifle.
" There goes Uncas!" said the scout; " the boy
bears a smart piece! I know its crack, as well as
a father knows the language of his child, for I carried the gun myself until a better offered."
"What can this mean!" demanded Duncan' we are watched, and, as it would seem, marked
for destruction."
"Yonder scattered brand can witness that no
good was intended, and this Indian will testify
that no harm has been done," returned the scout,
dropping his rifle coolly across his arm again, and
following Chingachgook, who just then re-appeared within the circle of light, into the bosom of the
works.  "How  is it, Sagamore! Are the Miingoes upon us in earnest, or is it only one of those
reptiles who hang upon the skirts of a war party,
to scalp the dead, go in, and make their boast
among the squaws of the valiant deeds done on
the pale-faces!'
Chingachgpok very quietly resumed his seat,
nor did he make any reply, until after he had examined the firebrand which had been struck by




288             THE LAST OF
the bullet, that had nearly proved fatal to himself
After which, he was content to reply, holding a
single finger up to view, with the English monosyllable" One."
" I thought as much," returned Hawk-eye, seating himself; "and as he had got the cover of the
lake afore Uncas pulled upon him, it is more than
probable the knave will sing his lies about some
great ambushment, in which he was outlying on
the trail of two Mohicans and a white hunterfor the officers can be considered as little better
than idlers in such a skrimmage.  Well, let him
-let him.  There are always some honest men
in every nation, though heaven knows, too, that
they are scarce among the Maquas, to look down
an upstart when he brags ag'in the face of all reason! The varlet sent his lead within whistle of
your ears, Sagamore."
Chingachgook turned a calm and incurious eye
towards the place where the ball had struck, and
then resumed his former attitude, with a composure that could not be disturbed by so trifling an
incident. Just then Uncas glided into the circle,
and seated himself at the fire, with the same ap
pearance of indifference as was maintained by his
father.
Of these several movements, Heyward was a
deeply interested and wondering observer. It appeared to him as though the foresters ha4 some
secret means of intelligence, which had eseaped
the vigilance of his own faculties. In place of that
eager and garrulous narration, with which a white
youth would have endeavoured to communicate,
and perhaps exaggerate, that which had passed
out in the darkness of the plain, the young warrior was seemingly content to let his deeds speak




THE MOHICANS.              289
for themselves. It was, in fact, neither the moment nor the occasion for an Indian to boast of
his exploits; and it is probable, that had Heyward
neglected to inquire, not another syllable would,
just then, have been uttered on the subject.
"What has become of our enemy, Uncas?"
demanded Duncan; "we heard your rifle, and
hoped you had not fired in vain."
The young chief removed a fold of his hunting
shirt, and quietly exposed the fatal tuft of hair,
which he bore as the symbol of his victory.
Chingachgook laid his hand on the scalp, and
considered it for a moment with deep attention
Then dropping it, with powerful disgust depicted
in his strong and expressive features, he exclaimed"Hugh! Oneida!"
"Oneida!" repeated the scout, who was fast
losing his interest in the scene, in an apathy nearly
assimilated to that of his red associates, but who
now  advanced with uncommon earnestness to
regard the bloody badge. "By the Lord, if the
Oneidas are outlying upon our trail, we shall be
flanked by devils on every side of us! Now, to
white eyes theem is no difference between this bit
of skin and that of any other Indian, and yet the
Sagamore declares it came from  the poll of a
Mingo; nay, he everi names the tribe of the poor
devil, with as much ease as if the scalp was the
leaf of a book, and each hair a letter. What right
have christian whites to boast of their learning,
when a savage can read a language, that would
prove too much for the wisest of them all! What
say you, lad; of what people was the knave?". Uncas raised his eyes to the face of. the scout,
and answered, in his soft, musical voice"Oneida."
2B




290             THE LAST OF' Oneida again! when one Indian makes a declaration it is commonly true; but when he is
supported by his people, set it down as gospel!"
"The poor fellow has mistaken us for French!"
said Heyward, " or he would not have attempted
the life of a friend."
"He mistake a Mohican, in his paint, for a
Huron! You would be as likely to mistake them
white coated grenadiers of Montcalm, for the scarletjackets of the' Royal Americans,'" returned
the scout. " No, no, the sarpent knew his errand;
nor was there any great mistake in the matter, for
there is but little love atween a Delaware and a
Mingo, let their tribes go out to fight for whom
they may, in a white quarrel. For that matter,
though the Oneidas do serve his Sacred majesty,
who is my own sovereign lord and master, I
should not have deliberated long about letting off'kill-deer' at the imp myself, had luck thrown him
in my way."
"That would have been an abuse of our treaties, and unworthy of your character.".  When a man consorts much with a people,"
continued Hawk-eye, " if they are honest, and he
no knave, love will grow up atwixt them.  It is
true, that white cunning has managed to throw
the tribes into great confusion, as respects friends
and enemies; so that the Hurons and the Oneidas,
who speak the same tongue, or what may be
called the same, take each other's scalps, and the
Delawares are divided among themselves; a few
hanging about their great council fire, on their
own river, and fighting on the same side with the
Mingoes, while the greater part are in the Canadas, out of natural enmity to the Maquas —thus
throwing every thing into disorder, and destroying all the harmony of warfare. Yet a red natur




THE MOHICANS.               291
is not likely to alter with every shift of policy!
so that the love atwixt a Mohican and a Mingo is
much like the regard between a white man and a
sarpent."
"I regret to hear it; for I had believed, those
natives who dwelt within our boundaries had
found us too just and liberal, not to identify themselves, fully, with our quarrels."
" Why," said the scout, " I believe It is natur
to give a preference to one's own quarrels before
those of strangers.  Now, for myself, I do love
justice; and therefore-I will not say I hate a
Mingo, for that may be unsuitable to my colour
and my religion-though I will just repeat, it may
have been owing to the night that' kill-deer' had
no hand in the death of this skulking Oneida."
Then, as if satisfied with the force of his own
reasons, whatever might be their effect on the
opinions of the other disputant, the honest but
implacable woodsman turned from the fire, content to let the controversy slumber. Heyward
withdrew to the rampart, too uneasy and too little
accustomed to the warfare of the woods, to remain
at ease under the possibility of such insidious
attacks. Not so, however, with the scout and the
Mohicans. Those acute and long practised senses,
whose powers so often exceed the limits of all
ordinary credulity, after having detected the danger, had enabled them to ascertain its magn:tude
and duration.  Not one of the three appeared in
the least to doubt, now, of their perfect security,
as was indicated by the preparations that were
soon made, to sit in council over their future proceedings.
The confusion of nations, and even of tribes, to
which Hawk-eye alluded, existed at that period
in the fullest force. The great tie of language,




292             THE LAST' OF
and, of course, of a common origin, was severed
In many places; and it wis one of its consequences that the Delaware and the Mingo, (as the
people of the Six Nations were called,) were found
fighting in the same ranks, while the latter sought
the scalp of the Huron, though believed to be the
root of his own stock. The Delawares were even
divided among themselves. Though love for the
soil which had belonged to his ancestors, kept the
Sagamore of the Mohicans, with a small band of
followers who were serving at Edward, under the
banners of the English king, by far the largest
portion of his nation were known to be in the
field as allies of Montcalm. The reader proba
bly knows, if enough has not already been gleaned
from this narrative, that the Delaware, or Lenape,
claimed to be the progenitors of that nu~merous
people, who once were masters of most of the
eastern and northern states of America, of whom
the community of the Mohicans was an ancient
and highly honoured member.
It was, of course, with a perfect understanding
of the minute and intricate interests, which had
armed friend against friend, and brought natural
enemies to combat by each other's side, that the
scout and his companions now disposed themselves to deliberate on the measures that were to
govern their future movements, amid so many
jarring add savage races of men.  Duncan knew
enough of Indian customs, to understand the reason that the fire was replenished, and why the
warriors, not excepting Hawk-eye, took their
seats within the curl of its smoke, with so much
gravity and decorum.  Placing himself at an
angle of the works, where he might be a spectator of the scene within, while he kept a watchful eye against any danger from  without, he




THE MOHTCANS.              293
awaited the result, with as much patience as he
could summon for the occasion.
After a short and impressive pause, Chingachgook lighted a pipe, whose bowl was curiously
carved in one of the soft stones of the country,
and whose stem was a tube of wood, and commenced smoking. When he had inhaled enough of
the fragrance of the soothing weed, he passed the
instrument into the hands of the scout.  In this
manner the pipe had made its rounds three several times, amid the most profound silence, before
either of the party opened his lips to speak. Then
the Sagamore, as the oldest and highest in rank,
in a few calm and dignified words, proposed the
subject for deliberation. He was answered by the
scout; and Chingachgook rejoined, when the other
objected to his opinions. But the youthful Uncas
continued a silent and respectful listener, until
Hawk-eye, in complaisance, demanded his opinion.  Heyward gathered from the manners of
the different speakers, that the father and son espoused one side of a disputed question, while the
white man maintained the other. The contest
gradually grew warmer, until it was quite evident the feelings of the speakers began to be some
what enlisted in the debate.
Notwithstanding the increasing warmth of the
amicable contest, the most decorous christian assembly, not even excepting those in which its
reverend ministers are collected, might have learn
ed a wholesome lesson of moderation from the
forbearance and courtesy of the disputants. The
words of Uncas were received with the same deep
attention as those which fell from the maturer
wisdom of his father; and so far from manifesting
any impatience, none spoke, in reply, until a few
moments of silent meditation were, seemingly,
2B2




294             THE LAST OF
bestowed in deliberating on what had already
been said.
The language of the Mohicans was acconpanied by gestures so direct and natural, that Heyward had but little difficulty in following the
thread of their argument. On the other hand, the
scout was obscure; because, from  the lingering
pride of colour, he rather affected the cold and
inartificial manner, which characterizes all classes
of Anglo-Americans, when unexcited.  By the
frequency with which the Indians described the
marks of a forest trail, it was evident they urged
a pursuit by land, while the repeated sweep of
Hawk-eye's arm  toward the IHorican, denoted
that he advocated a passage across its waters.
The latter was, to every appearance, fast losing
ground, and the point was about to be decided
against him, when he arose to his feet, and shaking off his apathy, he suddenly assumed the manner of an Indian, and adopted all the arts of native eloquence.  Elevating an arm, he pointed
out the track of the sun, repeating the gesture
for every day that was necessary to accomplish
their object. Then he delineated a long and painful path, amid rocks and water courses. The age
and weakness of the slumbering and unconscious
Munro, were indicated by signs too palpable to be
mistaken.  Duncan perceived that even his own
powers were spoken lightly of, as the scout extended his palm, and mentioned him by the appellation of the "open hand;" a name his liberality had purchased of all the friendly tribes. Then
came the representation of the light and graceful
movements of a canoe, set in forcible contrast to
the tottering-steps of one enfeebled and tired. He
concluded by pointing to the scalp of the Oneida,
and apparently urging the necessity of their de



THE MOHICANS.              295
parting speedily, and in a manner that should
leave no trail.
The Mohicans listened gravely, and with countenances that reflected the sentiments of the speaker. Conviction gradually wrought its influence,
and towards the close of Hawk-eye's speech, his
sentences were accompanied by the customary
exclamation of commendation.  In short, Uncas
and his father became converts to his way of
thinking, abandoning their own previously expressed opinions, with a liberality and candour,
that, had they been the representatives of some
great and civilized people, would have infallibly
worked their political ruin, by destroying, for
ever, their reputation for consistency.
The instant the matter in discussion was decided, the debate, and every thing connected with
it, except the result, appeared to be forgotten.
Hawk-eye, without looking round to read his
triumph in applauding eyes, very composedly
stretched his tall frame before the dying embers,
and closed his own organs in sleep.
Left now in a measure to themselves, the Mohicans, whose time had been so much devoted to
the interests of others, seized the moment to devote some attention to themselves.  Casting ofl,
at once, the grave and austere demeanour of an
Indian chief, Chingachgook commenced speaking
to his son in the soft and playful tones of affection.
Uncas gladly met the familiar air of his father,
and before the hard breathing of the scout announced that he slept, a complete change was
effected in the manner of his two associates.
It is impossible to describe the music of their
language, while thus engaged in laughter and
endearments, in such a way as to render it intelligible to those whose ears have never listened to




296     THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
its melody.  The compass of their voices, particularly that of the youth, was wonderful; extending from the deepest bass, to tones that were even
feminine in softness.  The eyes of the father followed the plastic and ingenious movements of the
son with open delight, and he never failed to
smile in reply to the other's contagious, but low.
laughter. While under the influence of these gentle and natural feelings, no trace of ferocity was
to be seen in the softened features of the Sagamore.
His figured panoply of death looked more like a
disguise assumed in mockery, than a fierce annunciation of a desire to carry destruction and desolation in his footsteps.
After an hour passed in the indulgence of their
better feelings, ChingachgoQk abruptly announced
his desire to sleep, by wrapping his head in his
blanket, and stretching his form on the naked
earth. The merriment of Uncas instantly ceased;
and carefully raking the coals, in such a manner
that they should impart their warmth to his
father's feet, the youth sought his own pillow
among the ruins of the place.
Imbibing renewed confidence from the security
of these experienced foresters, Heyward soon
imitated their example; and long before the night
had turned, they who lay in the bosom of the
ruined work, seemed to slumber as heavily as the
unconscious multitude, whose bones were already
beginning to bleach, on the surrounding plain.




CHAPTER XX.
" Land of Albania! let me bend mine eves
Oil thee, thou rugged nurse of savage men!"
Childe Harold
THE heavens were still studded with stars,
when Hawk-eye came to arouse the sleepers.
Casting aside their cloaks, Munro and Heyward
were on their feet, while the woodsman was still
making his low calls, at the entrance of the rude
shelter where they had passed the night.  When
they issued from beneath its concealment, they
found the scout awaiting their appearance nigh
by, and the only salutation between them was the
significant gesture for silence, made by their
sagacious leader.
" Think over your prayers," he whispered, as
they approached him; "for he, to whom  you
make them, knows all tongues; that of the heart,
as well as those of the mouth. But speak not a
syllable; it is rare for a white voice to pitch itself
properly in the woods, as we have seen by the example of that miserable devil, the singer Come,"
he continued, turning towards a curtain of the
works; " let us get into the ditch on this side, and
De regardful to step on the stones and fragments
of wood as you go."
His companions complied, though to one of
them the reasons of all this extraordinary precaution were yet a mystery.  When they were in
the low cavity, that surrounded the earthen fort
on three of its sides, they found the passage nearly
choked by the ruins.  With care and patience,
however, they succeeded in clambering after the




298             THE LAST O'
scout, until they reached the sandy shore of the
Horican.
" That's a trail that nothing but a nose can follow," said the satisfied scout, looking back along
their difficult way; "grass is a treacherous carpet
for a flying party to tread on, but wood and stone
take no print from  a moccasin.  Had you worn
your armed boots, there might, indeed, have been
something to fear! but with the deer-skin suitably
prepared, a man may trust himself, generally, on
rocks with safety. Shove in the canoe nigher to
the land, Uncas; this sand will take a stamp as
easily as the butter of the Dutchers on the Mohawk. Softly, lad, softly; it must not touch the
beach, or the knaves will know by what road we
have left the place."
The young man observed the precaution; and
the scout, laying a board from  the ruins to the
canoe, made a sign for the two officers to enter.
When this was done, every thing was studiously
restored to its former disorder; and then Hawkeye succeeded in reaching his little birchen vessel,
without leaving behind him any of those marks
which he appeared so much to dread.  Heyward
was silent, until the Indians had cautiously paddled the canoe some distance from the fort, and
within the broad and dark shadow that fell from
the eastern mountains, on the glossy surface of the
(ake; then he demanded" What need have we for this stolen and hurried departure?"
"If the blood of an Oneida could stain such a
sheet of pure water as this we float on," returned
the scout, "your two eyes would answer your
own question.  Have you forgotten the skulking
reptyle that' Uocas slew?"




HE iMOHICANS.              299
"By no means.  But he was said to be alone.
and dead men give no cause for fear!'
"Ay, he was alone in his deviltry! but an
Indian, whose tribe counts so many warriors,
need seldom fear his blood will run, without the
death-shriek coming speedily from some of his
enemies."
" But our presence-the authority of Colonel
Munro, would prove a sufficient protection against
the anger of our allies, especially in a case where
the wretch so well merited his fate.  I trust, in
Heaven, you have not deviated a single foot from
the direct line of our course, with so slight a
reason."; Do you think the bullet of that varlet's rifle
would have turned aside, though his sacred majesty the king had stood in its path!" returned
the stubborn scout.  "Why did not the grand
Frencher, he who is captain general of the Canadas, bury the tomahawks of the Hurons, if a word
from a white can work so strongly on the niatur
of an Indian?"
The reply of Heyward was interrupted by a
deep and heavy groan from Munro; but after he
had paused a moment, in deference to the sorrow
of his aged friend, he resumed the subject.
"The Marquis of Montcalm  can only settle
that error with his God," said the young man,
solemnly.
"Ay, ay, now there is reason in your words,
for they are bottomed on religion and honesty.
There is a vast difference between throwing a
regiment of white coats atwixt the tribes and the
prisoners, and coaxing an angry savage to forget
he carries a knife and a rifle, with words that
must begin with calling him' your son.' No, no,"
continued the scout, looking back at the dim shore




300              THE LAST OF
of William  Henry, which now  appeared to be
fast receding, and 1: ughing in his own silent but
heartfelt nlanner; " I have put a trail of water
atween us; and unless the imps can make friends
with the fishes, and hear who has paddled across
their basin, this fine morning, we shall throw the
length of the Horican behind us, before they have
made up their minds which path to take."
" With foes in front, and foes in our rear, our
journey is like to be one of danger!"
"Danger!" repeated Hawk-eye, calmly; "no,
not absolutely of danger; for, with vigilant ears
and quick eyes, we can manage to keep a few
hours ahead of the knaves; or, if we must try the
rifle, there are three of us who understand its gifts
as well as any you can name on the borders. No,
not of danger; but that we shall have what you
may call a brisk push of it, is probable; and it
may happen, a brush, a skrimmage, or some such
divarsion, but always where covers are good, and
ammunition abundant."
It is possible that Heyward's estimate of danger,
distinguished as he was for spirit, differed in some
degree from that of the scout, for, instead of replying, he now sat in silence, while the canoe
glided over several miles of water.  Just as the
day dawned, they entered the narrows of the lake,
and stole swiftly and cautiously among their numberless little islands.  It was by this road that
Montcalm  had retired with his army, and the
adventurers knew  not but he had left some of
his Indians in ambush, to protect the rear of his
forces, and collect the stragglers. They, therefore,
approached the passage with the customary silence
of their guarded habits.
Chingachgook laid aside his paddle; while Un.
eas and the scout urged the light vessel throulg




THE MOHICANS.               301
crooked and intricate channels, wheie every foot
that they advanced exposed them to the danger of
some sudden rising on their progress.  The eyes
of the Sagamore moved warily from islet to islet,
and copse to copse, as the canoe proceeded; and
when a clearer sheet of water permitted, his keen
vision was bent along the bald rocks and impending forests, that frowned upon the narrow strait.
Heyward, who was a doubly interested spectator, as well from the beauties of the place as
from the apprehension natural to his situation,
was just believing that he had permitted the latter
to be excited without sufficient reason, when the
paddles ceased moving, in obedience to a signal
from Chingachgook.
"Hugh!" exclaimed Uncas, nearly at the moment- that the light tap his father had made on the
side of the canoe, notified them of the vicinity of
danger.
" What now?" asked the scout; "the lake is
as smooth as if the winds had never blown, and I
can see along its sheet for miles; there is not so
much as the black head of a loon dotting the
water!"
The Indian gravely raised his paddle, and pointed in the direction that his own steady look was
riveted. Duncan's eyes followed the motion. A
few rods in their front lay another of the low
wooded islets, but it appeared as calm and peaceful, as if its solitude had never been disturbed by
the foot of man.
" I see nothing," he said, " but land and water
and a lovely scene it is!"
"Hist!" interrupted the scout.  "Ay, Saga.
more, there is always a reason for what you do!'Tis but a shade, and yet it is not natural. You
see the mist, major, that is rising above the island;
2C




302             THE LAST OF
you can't call it a fog, for it is more like a strak
of thin cloud" —
" It is vapour from the water!"
" That a child could tell. But what is the edging of blacker smoke, that hangs along its lower
side, and which you may trace down into the
thicket of hazle?'Tis from  a fire; but one that,
in my judgment, has been suffered to burn low."
"Let us then push for the place, and relieve
our doubts," said the impatient Duncan; "the
party must be small that can lie on such a bit of
land."
"If you judge of Indian cunning by the rules
you find in books, or by white sagacity, they will
lead you astray, if not to your death," returned
Hawk-eye, examining the signs of the place with
that acuteness which distinguished him.." If I
may be permitted to speak in this matter, it will
be to say, that we have bat two things to choose
between: the-one is, to return, and give up all
thoughts of following the Hurons-"
"Never!" exclaimed Heyward, in a voice far
too loud for their circumstances.
"Well, well," continued Hawk-eye, making a
hasty sign to repress his ardour; " I am much of
your mind myself; though I thought it becoming
my experience to tell the whole. We must then
make a push, and if the Indians or Frenchers are
in the narrows, run the gauntlet through these
topling mountains. Is there reason in my words,
Sagamore?"
The Indian made no other answer than b1y dropping his paddle into the water, and urging forwtu'd the canoe. As he held the office of directing
its course, his resolution was sufficiently indicated
by the movement.  The whole party now plied
their paddles vigorously, and in a very few mo




THE MOHICANS.              303
ments they had reached a point whence they
might command an entire view of the northern
shore of the island, the side that had hitherto
been concealed.
"There they are, by all the truth of signs!"
whispered the scout; " two canoes and a smoke!
The knaves have'nt yet: got their eyes out of the
mist, or we should hear the accursed whoop. To
gether, friends-we are leaving them, and are
already nearly out of whistle of a bullet."
The well known crack of a rifle, whose ball
came skipping along the placid surface of the
strait, and a shrill yell from the island, interrupted his speech, and announced that their passage was discovered. In another instant several
savages were seen rushing into the canoes, which
were soon dancing over the water, in swift pursuit. These fearful precursors of a coming struggle, produced no change in the countenances and
movements of his three guides, so far as Duncan
could discover, except that the strokes of their
paddles were longer and more in unison, and
caused the little bark to spring forward like a
creature possessing life and volition.
"Hold them there, Sagamore," said Hawk-eye,
looking coolly backward over his left shoulder,
while he still plied his paddle; "keep them just
there.  Them Hurons have never a piece in their
nation that will execute at this distance; but' killdeer' has a barrel on which a man may safely calculate."
The scout having ascertained that the Mohicans were sufficient of themselves to maintain the
requisite distance, deliberately laid aside his paddie, and raised the fatal rifle. Three several times
he brought the piece to his shoulder, and when
his companions were expecting its report, he as




304;            THE LAST O0F
often lowered it, to request the Indians would permit their enemies to approach a little nigher. At
length, his accurate and fastidious eye seemed satisfied, and throwing out his left arm on the bar
rel, he was slowly elevating the muzzle, when an
exclamation from Uncas, who sat in the bow, once
more caused him to suspend the shot.'; What now, lad?" demanded Hawk-eye; "you
saved a Huron from  the death-shriek by that
word; have you reason for what you do?"
Uncas pointed towards the rocky shore, a little
in their front, whence another war canoe was
darting directly across their course.  It was too
obvious, now, that their situation was imminently
perilous, to need the aid of language to confirm
it. The scout laid aside his rifle, and resumed
the paddle, while Chingachgook inclined the bows
of the canoe a little towards the western shore, in
order to increase the distance between them and
this new enemy. In the mean time, they were reminded of the presence of those who pressed upon their rear, by wild and exulting shouts. The
stirring scene awakened even Munro from the
dull apathy into which he was plunged by the
weight of his misfortunes.
"Let us make for the rocks on the main," he
said, with the firm mien of a tried soldier, "and
give battle to the savages. God forbid that I, or
those attached to me and mine, should ever trust
again to the faith of any servant of the Louises!
" He who wishes to prosper in Indian warfare,"
returned the busy scout, " must not be too proud
to learn from the wit of a native. Lay her more
along the land, Sagamore; we are doubling on the
varlets, and perhaps they may try to strike our
trail on the long calculation."
Hawk-eye was not mistaken; for, when the




THE MOUICANS.                05
Hurons found their course was likely to throw
them behind their chase, they rendered it less direct, until by gradually bearing more and more
obliquely, the two canoes were, ere long, gliding
on parallel lines, within two hundred yards of
each other.  It now became entirely a trial of
speed.  So rapid was the progress of the light
vessels, that the lake curled in their front, in miniature waves, and their motion became undulating by its own velocity. It was, perhaps, owing
to this circumstance, in addition to the necessity
of keeping every hand employed at the paddles,
that the Hurons had not immediate recourse to
their fire-arms. The exertions of the fugitives
were too severe to continue long, and the pursuers had the advantage of numbers.  Duncan observed, with uneasiness, that the scout began to
look anxiously about him, as if searching for some
further means of assisting their flight,
"Edge her a little more from the sin, Sagamore," said the stubborn woodsman; "I see the
knaves are sparing a man to the rifle. A single
broken bone might lose us our scalps. Edge more
from the sun, and we will put the island between
us."
The expedient was not without its use. A long,
low island lay at a little distance before them, and
as they closed with it, the chasing canoe was compelled to take a side opposite to that on which the
pursued passed. The scout and his companions
did not neglect this advantage, but the instant
they were hid from observation by the bushes,
they redoubled efforts that before had seemed prodigious.  The two canoes came round the last
low point, like two coursers at the top of their
speed, the fugitives taking the lead. This change
2C2




306             THE LAST OF
had brought them nigher to each other, however,
while it altered their relative positions.
"You showed knowledge in the shaping of
birchen bark,.Uncas, when you chose this from
among the Huron canoes," said the scout, smiling,
apparently, more in satisfaction at their superiority
in the race, than from that prospect of final escape,
which now began to open a little upon them. "The
imps have put all their strength again at the paddles, and we are to struggle for our scalps with
bits of flattened wood, instead of clouded barrels
and true eyes! A  long stroke, and together,
friends."
"They are preparing for a shot," said Ieyward; "and as we are in a line with them, it can
scarcely fail."
"Get you then into the bottom of the canoe,"
returned the scout; " you and the colonel; it will
be so much taken from the size of the mark."
Heyward smiled, as he answered" It would be but an ill example for the highest
in rank to dodge, while the warriors were under
fire!"
"Lord! Lord! that is now a white man's courage!" exclaimed the scout; "and like too many
of his notions, not to be maintained by reason.
Do you think the Sagamore, or Uncas, or even I,
who am a man without a cross, would deliberate
about finding a cover in a skrimmage, when an
open body would do no good! For what have the
Frenchers reared up their Quebec, if fighting is
always to be done in the clearings?"
" All that you say is very true, my friend," replied Heyward; "still, our customs must prevent
us from doing as you wish."
A volley from the Hurons interrupted the dis




THE MOHICANS.              301
course, and as the bullets whistled about them,
Duncan saw.the head of Uncas turned, looking
back at himself and Munro. Notwithstanding the
nearness of the enemy, and his own great personal danger, the countenance of the young warrior
expressed no other emotion, as the former was
compelled to think, than amazement at finding men
willing to encounter so useless an exposure. Chingachgook was probably better acquainted with the
notions of white men, for he did not even cast a
glance aside from the riveted look his eye maintained on the object, by which he governed their
course. A ball soon struck the light and polished
paddle from the hands of the chief, and drove it
through the air far in the advance. A shout arose
from the Hurons, who seized the opportunity to
fire another volley.  Uncas described an arc in
the water with his own blade, and as the canoe
passed swiftly on; Chingachgook recovered his
paddle, and flourishing it on high, he gave the
warwhoop of the Mohicans, and then lent his own
strength and skill, again, to the important task.
The clamorous sounds of "le Gros Serpent,"
" la Longue Carabine," " le Cerf Agile," burst at
once from the canoes behind, and seemed to give
new zeal to the pursuers. The scout seized " killdeer" in his left hand, and elevating it above his
head, he shook it in triumph at his enemies. The
savages answered the insult with a yell, and immediately another volley succeeded. The bullets
pattered along the lake, and one even pierced the
bark of their little vessel. No perceptible emotion could be discovered in the Mohicans during
this critical moment, their rigid features expressing neither hope nor alarm; but the scout again
turned his head, and laughing in his own silent
manner, he said to Heyward —




308             THE LAST OF
" The knaves love to hear the sounds of their
pieces; but the eye is not to be found among the
Mingoes that can calculate a true range in a dancing canoe! You see the dumb devils have taken
off a man to charge, and!y the smallest measurement that can be allowed, we move three feet to
their two!"
Duncan, who was not altogether as easy under
this nice estimate of distances as his companions,
was glad to find, however, that owing to their superior dexterity, and the diversion among their
enemies, they were very sensibly obtaining the
advantage. The Hurons soon fired again, and a
bullet struck the blade of Hawk-eye's paddle
without injury.
"That will do," said the scout, examining the
slight indentation with a curious eye; "it would
not have cut the skin of an infant, much less of
men, who, like us, have been blown upon by the
Heavens in their anger. Now, major, if you will
try to use this piece of flattened wood, I'll let'kill-deer' take a part in the conversation."
Heyward seized the paddle, and applied himself to the work with an eagerness that supplied
the place of skill, while Hawk-eye was engaged
in inspecting the priming of his rifle. The latter
then took a swift aim, and fired. The Huron in
the bows of the leading canoe had risen with a
similar object, and he now fell backward, suffer
ing his gun to escape from his hands into the wa
ter. In an instant, however, he recovered his
feet, though his gestures were wild and bewilder
ed. At the same moment his companions suspended their efforts, and the chasing canoes clustered together, and became stationary. Chingachgook and Uncas profited by the interval to regain
their wind, though Duncan continued to work




THE MOHICANS.              309
with the most persevering industry.  The father
and son now  cast calm  but inquiring glances
at each other, to learn if either had sustained any
injury by the fire; for both well knew that no
cry or exclamation would, in such a moment of
necessity, have been permitted to betray the accident. A few large drops of blood were trickling down the shoulder of the Sagamore, who,
when he perceived that the eyes of Uncas dwelt
too long on the sight, raised some water in the
hollow of his hand, and washing off the stain, was
content to manifest, in this simple manner, the
slightness of the injury.
" Softly, softly, major," said the scout, who by
this time had reloaded his rifle; "we are a little
too far already for a rifle to put forth its beauties,
and you see yonder imps are holding a council.
Let them come up within striking distance-my
eye may well be trusted in such a matter-and I
will trail the varlets the length of the Horican,
guaranteeing that not a shot of theirs shall, at the
worst, more than break the skin, while' kill-deer'
shall touch the life twice in three times."
"We forget our errand," returned the diligent
Duncan.  " For God's sake, let us profit by this
advantage, and increase our distance from the
enemy."
" Give me my children," said Munro, hoarsely;
"trifle no longer with a father's agony, but restore me my babes!"
Long and habitual deference to the mandates
of his superiors, had taught the scout the virtue of
obedience. Throwing a last and lingering glance
at the distant canoes, he laid aside his rifle, and
relieving the wearied Duncan, resumed the paddle,
which he wielded with sinews that never tiredi




310             THE LAST OF
His efforts were seconded by those of the Mohicans, and a very few minutes served to place such
a sheet of water between them and their enemies,
that Heyward once more breathed freely.
The lake now began to expand, and their route
lay along a wide reach, that was lined, as beforeby high and ragged mountains.  But the islands
were few, and easily avoided. The strokes of
the paddles grew  more measured and regular,
while they who plied them continued their labour,
after the close and deadly chase from which they
had just relieved themselves, with as much cool,
ness as though their speed had been tried in sport,
rather than under such pressing, nay, almost des
perate, circumstances.
Instead of following the western shore, whi
ther their errand led them, the wary Mohican
inclined his course nore towards those hills, behind which, Montcalm  was known to have led
his army-into the formidable fortress of Ticonderoga.  As the Hurons, to every appearance, had
abandoned the pursuit, there was no apparent reason for this excess of caution. It was, however,
maintained for hours, until they had reached a
bay, nigh the northern termination of the lake.
Here the canoe was driven upon the beach, and
the whole party landed.  Hawk-eve and Heyward ascended an adjacent bluff, where the former,
after considering the expanse of water beneath
him, attentively, for many minutes, pointed out
to the latter a small black object, hovering under
a head-land, at the distance of several miles.
"Do you see it?" demanded the scout. " Now,
what would you account that spot, -were you
left alone to white experience to find your way
through this wilderness?"




THE MOHICANS.              311 
" But for its distance and its magnitude, [ should
suppose it a bird.  Can it be a living object?"''Tis a canoe of good birchen bark, and paddied
by fierce and ci afty Mingoes! Though Providence
has lent to those who inhabit the woods eyes that
would be needless to men in the settlements,
where there are inventions to assist the sight, yet
no human organs can see all the dangers which at
this moment circumvent us. These varlets pretend to be bent chiefly on their sun-down meal,
but the moment it is dark, they will be on our
trail, as true as hounds on the scent. We must
throw them ofl; or our pursuit of le Renard Subtil
may be given up. These lakes are useful at times,
especially when the game takes the water," continued the scout, gazing about him with a countenance of concern, " but they give no cover, except it be to the fishes. God knows what the
country would be, if the settlements should ever
spread far from the two rivers. Both hunting
and war would lose their beauty."
"Let us not delay a moment, without some
good and obvious cause."
"I little like that smoke, which you may see
worming up along the rock above the canoe," interrupted the abstracted scout.  "My life on it,
other eyes than ours see it, and know its meaning! Well, words will not mend the matter, and
it is time that we were doing."
Hawk-eye moved away from the look out, and
descended, musing profoundly, to the shore. He
communicated the result of his observations to his
companions, in Delaware, and a short and earnest
consultation succeeded.  When it terminated, the
three instantly set about executing their new resolutions.
The canoe was lifted from the water, and borne




312     THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
on tie shoulders of the party. They proceeded
into the wood, making as broad and obvious a trail
as possible. They soon reached a water-course,
which they crossed, and continued onward, until
they came to an extensive and ilaked rock. At
this point, where their footsteps might be expected
to be no longer visible, they retraced their route
to the brook, walking backwards, with the utmost
care. They now followed the bed of the ittle
stream to the lake, into which they immediately
launched their canoe again. A low point concealed them  from the headland, and the margin
of the lake was fringed for some distance with
dense and overhanging bushes. Under the cover
of these natural advantages, they toiled their way,
with patient industry, until the scout pronounced
that he believed it would be safe once more to
land.
The halt continued until evening rendered objects indistinct and uncertain to the eye. Then
they resumed their route, and, favoured by the
darkness, pushed silently and vigorously toward
the western shore. Although the rugged outline
of mountain, to which they were steering, presented no distinctive marks to the eyes of Duncan,
the Mohican entered the little haven he had selected with the confidence and accuracy of an experienced pilot.
The boat was again lifted, and borne into the
woods, where it was carefully concealed under a
pile of brush. The adventurers assumed their arms
and packs, and the sccut announced to Munro and
Hey ward, that he and the Indians were at last in
readliness to proceed.




CHAPTER XXI.
- I you find a man there, he shall die a flea's death."
Merry Wives of [Vindor
THE party had landed on the border of a region
rhlat is, even to this day, less known to the inhabitants of the states, then the deserts of Arabia,
or the steppes of Tartary. It was the sterile and
rugged district, which separates the tributaries of
Champlain from those of the Hudson, the Mohawk,
and of the St. Lawrence. Since the period of our
tale, the active spirit of the country has surrounded it with a belt of rich and thriving settlements,
though none but the hunter or the savage is ever
known, even now, to penetrate its rude and wild
recesses.
As Hawk-eye and the Mohicans had, however,
often traversed the mountains and valleys of this
vast wilderness, they did not hesitate to plunge
into its depths, with the freedom of men accustomed to its privations anti difficulties. For many
hoirs the travellers toiled on their laborious way,
guided by a star, or following the direction of
some water-course, until the scout called a halt,
and holding a short consultation with the Indians,
they lighted their fire, and made the usual preparations to pass the remainder of the night where
they then were.
Imitating the example, and emulating the confidence of their more experienced associates, Munro
and Duncan slept without fear, if not without uneasiness. The dews were suffered to exhale, and
the sun had dispersed the mists, and was shedding
a strong and clear light in the forest, when the
Lravellers resumed their journey.
21




314              THE LAST OF
After proceeding a few miles, the progress of
Hawk-eye, who led the advance, became more deliberate and watchful. He often stopped to examine the trees; nor did he cross a rivulet, without attentively considering the quantity, the velocity, and the colour of its waters. Distrusting his
own judgment, his appeals to the opinion of Chingachgook were frequent and earnest. During one
of these conferences, Heyward observed that Uncas stood a patient and silent, though, as he imagined, an interested listener.  tHe was strongly
tempted to address the young chieftain, and demand his opinion of their progress; but the calm
and dignified demeanour of the native, induced
him to believe, that, like himself, the other was
wholly dependent on the sagacity and intelligence
of the seniors of the party.  At last, the scout
spoke in English, and at once explained the embarrassment of their situation.
" When I found that the home path of the Huions run north," he said, "it did not need the
judgment of many long years to tell that they
would follow the valleys, and keep atween the
waters of the Hudson and the Horican, until they
might strike the springs of the Canada streams,
which would lead them into the heart of the country of the Frenchers.  Yet here are we, within a
saort range of the Scaroon, and not a sign of a
trail have we crossed! Human natur is weak, and
it is possible we may not have taken the proper
scent."
"Heaven protect us from such an error!" exclaimed Duncan. "Let us retrace our steps, and
examine as we go, with keener eyes. Has Uncas
no counsel to offer in such a strait?"
The young Mohican cast a quick glance at his
father, L:,t instantly recovering his quiet and re



THE MOHICANS.              315
served mien. he continued silent.  Cbingachgook
had caught the look, and motioning with his hand,
he bade him speak. The moment this permission
was accorded, the countenance of Uncas changed
from its grave composure to a gleam of intelligence and joy.  Bounding forward like a deer,
he sprang up the side of a little acclivity, a few
rods in advance, and stood, exultingly, over a spot
of fresh earth, that looked as though it had been
recently upturned by the passage of some heavy
animal.  The eyes of the whole party followed
the unexpected movement, and read their success
in the air of triumph that the youth assumed.
"'Tis the trail!" exclaimed the scout, advancing
to the spot; " the lad is quick of sight and keen of
wit, for his years."
"'Tis extraordinary, that he should have withheld his knowledge so long," muttered Duncan,
at his elbow.
" It would have been more wonderful had he
spoken, without a bidding! No, no; your young
wnite, who gathers his learning from books, and
can measure what he knows by the page, may conceit that his knowledge, like his legs, outruns that
of his father; but where experience is the master,
the scholar is made to know the value of years,
and respects them accordingly."
"See!" said Uncas, pointing north and south;
at the evident marks of the broad trail on either
side of him; "the dark-hair has gone towards the
frost."
" Hound never ran on a more beautiful scent,"
responded the scout, dashing forward, at once, on
the indicated route; "we are favoured, greatly
favoured, and can follow with high noses. Ay,
here are both your waddling beasts; this Huron
travels like a white general IThe fellow is strick



316              T'HE LAST OF
en with a judgment, and is mad  Look sharp for
wheels, Sagamore," he continued, looking back
and laughing, in his newly awakened satisfaction,
"we shall soon have the fool journeying in a
coach, and that with three of the best pair of eyes
on the borders in his rear."
The spirits of the scout, and the astonishing success of the chase, in which a circuitous distance of
more than forty miles had been passed, did not
fail to impart a portion of hope to the whole party.
Their advance was rapid; and made with as much
confidence as a traveller would proceed along a
wide highway.  If a rock, or a rivulet, or a bit
of earth harder than common, severed the links of
the clue they followed, the true eye of the scout
recovered them at a distance, and seldom rendered
the delay of a single moment necessary. Their
progress was much facilitated by the certainty
that Magua had found it necessary to journey
through the valleys; a circumstance which rendered the general direction of the route sure. Nor
had the Huron entirely neglected the arts uniformly practised by the natives, when retiring in
front of an enemy. False trails, and sudden turnings, were frequent, wherever a brook, or the formation of the ground, rendered them  feasible; but
his pursuers were rarely deceived, and never failed
to detect their error, before they had lost either
time or distance on the deceptive track.
By the niddle of the afternoon they had passed
the Scaroon, and were following the route of the
declining sun. After descending an eminence to
a low bottom, through which a swift stream glided, they suddenly came to a place where the party
of le Renard had made a halt. Extinguished brands
were lying around a spring, the offals of a deer
were scattered about the place, and the trees bore




THE MOHICANS.              317
evident marks of having been browsed long and
closely by the horses.  At a little distance, Heyward discovered, and contemplated with tender
emotion, the small bower under which, he'was
fain to believe, that Cora and Alice had reposed.
But while the earth was trodden, and the footsteps of both men and beasts were so plainly visible around the place, the trail appeared to have
suddenly ended.
It was easy to follow the tracks of the Narragansetts, but they seemed only to have wandered without guides, or any other object than the
pursuit of food. At length Uncas, who, with his
father, had endeavoured to trace the route of the
horses, came upon a sign of their presence, that
was quite recent.  Before following the clue, he
communicated hissuccess to his companions, and
while the latter were consulting on the circumstance, the youth re-appeared, leading the two
fillies, with their saddles broken, and the housings
soiled, as though they had been permitted to run,
at will, for several days.
" What should this prove?" said Duncan, turning pale, and glancing his eyes around him, as if
he feared the brush and leaves were about to give
up some horrid secret.
"That our march is come to a quick end, and
that we are in an enemy's country," returned the
scout.  " Had the knave been pressed, and the
gentle ones wanted horses to keep up with the
party, he might have taken their scalps; but without an enemy at his heels, and with such rugged
beasts as these, he would not hurt a hair of their
heads.  I know your thoughts, and shame be it
to our colour, that you have reason for them; but
he who thinks that even a Mingo would ill treat
a woman, unless it be to tomahawk her, knows? 0 2




318             THE LAST OF
nothing of Indian natur, or the laws of thd woods
No, no; I have heard that the French Indians had
come into these hills, to hunt the.moose, and we
are getting within scent of their camp.  Why
should they not? the morning and evening guns
of Ty, may be heard any day among these mountains; for the Frenchers are running a new line
atween the provinces of the king and the Canadas.  It is true, that the horses are here, but the
Hurons are gone, let us then hunt for the path
by which they departed."
Hawk-eye and the Mohicans now applied themselves to their task in good earnest. A circle of a
few hundred feet in circumference was drawn, and
each of the party took a segment for his portion.
The examination, however, resulted in no discovery.  The impressions of footsteps were numerous, but they all appeared like those of men who
had wandered about the spot, without any design
to quit it. Again the scout and his companions
made the circuit of the halting-place, each slowly
following the other, until they assembled in the
centre, once more, no wiser than when they
started.
"Such cunning is not without its deviltry?"
exclaimed Hawk-eye, when he met the disap
pointed looks of his assistants.  "We must get
down to it, Sagamore, beginning at the spring,
and going over the ground by inches. The Huron shall never brag in his tribe that he has a foot
which leaves no print!'
Setting the example himself, the scout engaged
in the scrutiny with renewed zeal. Not a leaf
was left unturned. The sticks were removed, and
the stones lifted-for Indian cunning was known
frequently to adopt these objects as covers, iabouring with the utmost patience and industry, to




THE MOrHICAAs.             319
conceal each footstep as they proceeded. Still,
no discovery was made. At length Uncas, whose
activity had enabled him to achieve his portion of
the task the soonest, raked the earth across the
turbid little rill which ran from the spring, and
diverted its course into another channel. So soon
as its narrow  bed below the dam  was dry, he
stooped over it with keen and curious eyes.' A
cry of exultation immediately announced the success of the young warrior.  The whole party
crowded to the spot, where Uncas pointed out the
impression of a moccasin in the rich and moist
alluvion.
"The lad will be an honour to his people!"
said Hawk-eye, regarding the trail with as much
admiration as a naturalist would expend on the
tusk of a mammoth, or the rib of a mastoden;
" ay, and a thorn in the sides of the Hurons. Yet
that is not the footstep of an Indian! the weight is
too much on the heel, and the toes are squared, as
though one of the French dancers had been in,
pigeon-winging his tribe! Run back, Uncas, and
bring me the size of the singer's foot. You will
find a beautiful print of it just opposite yon rock,
ag'in the hill side."
While the youth was engaged in this commission, the scout and Chingachgook were attentively considering the impressions. The measurements agreed, and the former unhesitatingly pronounced that the footstep was that of David, who
had, once more, been made to exchange his shoes
for moccasins.
" I can now read the whole of it, as plainly as
if I had seen the arts of le Subtil," he added;
"the singer being a man whose gifts lay chiefly
in his throat and feet, was made to go first, and




820             THE LAST OF
the others have trod in his steps, imitating their
formation."
" But," cried Duncan, " I see no signs of "
"The gentle ones," interrupted the scout; "the
varlet has found a way to carry them, until he
supposed he had thrown any followers off the
scent. My life on it, we see their pretty little
feet again, before many rods go by."
The whole party now proceeded, following the
course of the rill, keeping anxious eyes on the
regular impressions. The water soon flowed into
its bed again, but watching the ground on either
side, the foresters pursued their way, content with
knowing that the trail lay beneath. More than
half a mile was passed, before the rill rippled close
around the base of an extensive and dry rock.
Here they paused to make sure that the Hurons
had not quitted the water.
It was fortunate they did so. For the quick
and active Uncas soon found the impression of a
foot on a bunch of moss, where it would seem an
Indian had inadvertently trodden. Pursuing the
direction given by this discovery, he entered the
neighbouring thicket, and struck the trail, as fresh
and obvious as it had been before they reached the
spring. Another shout announced the good fortune of the youth to his companions, and at once
terminated the search.
"Ay, it has been planned with Indian judgment," said the scout, when the party was assembled around the place; "and would have blinded
white eyes."
"Shall we proceed?" demanded Heyward.
" Softly, softly; we know our path, but it is good
to examine the formation of things. This is my
schooling, major; and if one neglects the book,
there is no better chance of learning from  the




THE -MOHICANS.              321
open hand of Providence, than yon idle boy has
with an old gal. All is plain but one thing, which
is, the manner that the knave contrived to get the
gentle ones along the blind trail. Even a Huron
would be too proud to let their tender feet touch
the water."
"Will this assist in explaining the difficulty?"
said Heyward, pointing towards the fragments
of a sort of hand-barrow, that had been rudely
constructed of boughs, and bound together with
withes, and which now  seemed carelessly cast
aside as useless.
"'Tis all explained!" cried the delighted Hawkeye. " If them varlets have passed a minute, they
have spent hours in striving to fabricate a lying
end to their trail! Well, I've known them waste
a day in the same manner, to as little purpose.
Here we have three pair of moccasins, and two of
little feet. It is amazing that any mortal beings
can journey on limbs so small! Pass me the thong
of buck-skin, Uncas, and let me take the length of
this foot. By the Lord, it is no longer than a
child's, and yet the maidens are tall and comely,
That Providence is partial in its gifts, for its own
wise reasons, the best and most contented of us
must allow!"
"The tender limbs of my daughters are unequal
to these hardships!" said Munro, looking at the
light footsteps of his children with a parent's love;
"we shall find their fainting forms in this desert."
"Of that there is little cause of fear," returned
the attentive scout, slowly shaking his head; "this
is a firm and straight, though a light step, and not
over long. See, the heel has hardly touched the
ground; and there the dark-hair has made a little
jump, from root to root. No, no: my knowledge
for it, neither of them  was nigh fainting, here



322              THE LAST OF
away. Now, the singer was beginning to be footsore and leg-weary, as is plain by his trail. There
you see he slipped; here he has travelled wide.
and tottered; and there, again, it looks as though
he journeyed on snow-shoes. Ay, ay, a man who
uses his throat altogether, can hardly give his legs
a proper training!"
From such undeniable testimony, did the practised woodsman arrive at the truth, with nearly
as much certainty and precision, as if he had been
a witness of all those events, which his ingenuity
so easily elucidated. Cheered by these assurances,
and satisfied by a reasoning that was so obvious,
while it was so simple, the party resumed its
course, after making a short halt, to take a hurried
and slight repast.
When the meal was ended, the scout cast a glance
upward at the setting sun, and pushed forward with
a rapidity, to equal which compelled Heyward
and the still vigorous Munro to exert all their
muscles. Their route, now, lay along the bottom
which has already been mentioned. As the Hu.
rons had made no further efforts to conceal their
footsteps, the progress of the pursuers was no
longer delayed by uncertainty. Before an hour
had elapsed, however, the speed of Hawk-eye sensibly abated, and his head, instead of maintaining
its former irect and forward look, began to turn
suspiciously from side to side, as if he were conscious of approching danger. He soon stopped
again, and awaited for the whole party to come up.
"I scent the Hurons," he said, speaking to the
Mohicans; " yonder is open sky, through the treetops, and we are getting too nigh their encampment.  Sagamore, you will take the hill side, to
the right; Uncas will bend along the brook to the
left, while I will try the trail If any thing should




THE MOHICANS.              323
happen, the call will be three croaks of a crow.
I saw one of tie birds fanning himself in the air,
just beyond the dead oak-another sign that we
are touching an encampment."
The Indians departed their several ways, with
out deeming any reply necessary, while Hawk*
eye cautiously proceeded with the two gentlemen.  Heyward soon pressed to the side of their
guide, eager to catch an early glimpse of those
enemies he had pursued with so much toil and
anxiety. His companion told him to steal to the
edge of the wood, which, as usual, was fringed
with a thicket, and wait his coming, for he wished
to examine certain suspicious signs a little on one
side.'Duncan obeyed, and soon found himself in
a situation to command a view which he found as
extraordinary as it was novel.
The trees of many acres had been felled, and
the glow of a mild summer's evening had fallen
on the clearing, in beautiful contrast to the gray
light of the forest.  A short distance from  the
place where Duncan stood, the stream had seemingly expanded into a little lake, covering most of
the low land, from mountain to mountain. The
water fell out of this wide basin, in a cataract so
regular and gentle, that it appeared rather to be
the-work of human hands, than fashioned by nature. A hundred earthen dwellings stood on the
margin of the lake, and even in its water, as though
the latter had flowed its usual banks. Their rounded roofs, admirably moulded for defence against
the weather, denoted more of industry and foresight, than the natives were wont to bestow on
their regular habitations, much less on those they
occupied for the temporary purposes of hunting
and war. In short, the whole village, or town,
which ever it might be termed, possessed more of




324             THE LAST OF
method and neatness of execution, than the white
men had been acci stomed to believe belonged,
ordinarily, to the Indian habits. It appeared, however, to be deserted. At least, so thought Duncan
for many minutes; but, at length, he fancied he
discovered several human forms' advancing towards him on all fours, and apparently dragging
in their train some heavy, and, as he was quick to
apprehend, some formidable engine. Just then a
few dark looking heads gleamed out of the dwellings, ard the place seemed suddenly alive with
beings, which, however, glided from  cover to
cover so swiftly, as to allow no opportunity ol
examining their humours or pursuits.  Alarmed
at these suspicious and inexplicable movements,
he was about to attempt the signal of the crows,
when the rustling of leaves at hand, drew his eyes
in another direction.
The young man started, and recoiled a few
paces instinctively, when he found himself within
a hundred yards of a stranger Indian. Recovering
his recollection on the instant, instead of sounding
an alarm, which might prove fatal to himself, he
remained stationary, an attentive observer of the
other's motions.
L'n instant of calm observation, seived to assure
Dun6an that he was undiscovered. The native,
like himself, seemed occupied in considering the
low dwellings of the village, and the stolen movements of its inhabitants. It was impossible to discover the expression of his features, through the
grotesque masque of paint, under which they were
concealed; though Duncan fancied it was rather
melancholy than savage.  His head was shaved,
as usual, with the exception of the crown, from
whose tuft three or four faded feathers, from a
hawk's wing, were loosely dangling. A ragged




THE MOHICANS.              325
calico mantle half encircled his body, while his
nether garment was composed of an ordinary shirt,
the sleeves of which were made to perform tile
office that is usually executed by a much more
commodious arrangement.  His legs were bare,
and sadly cut and torn by briars. The feet were,
however, covered with a pair of good bear-skin
moccasins.  Altogether, the appearance of the individual was forlorn and miserable.
Duncan was still curiously observing the person
of his neighbour, when the scout stole silently and
cautiously to his side.
" You see we have reached their settlement, or
encampment," whispered the young man; "and
here is one of the savages himself in a very embarrassing position for our further movements."
Hawk-eye started, and dropped his rifle, when,
directed by the finger of his companion, the stranger came under his view. Then lowering the
dangerous muzzle, he stretched forward his long
neck, as if toassist a scrutiny that was already
intensely keen.
"The imp is not a Huron," he said, "nor of
any of the Canada tribes! and yet you see by his
clothes, the knave has been plundering a white.
Ay, Montcalm has raked the woods for his inroad,
and a whooping, murdering set of varlets has he
gathered together! Can you see where he has put
his rifle, or his bow?"
" He appears to have no arms; nor does he seem
to be viciously inclined.  Unless he communicate
the alarm to his fellows, who, as you see, are
dodging about the water, we have but little t6
fear from him."
The scout turned to Heyward, and regarded
him a moment with unconcealed amazement Then
opening wide his mouth, he indulged in unre2 E




326              THE LAST OF
strained and heartfelt laughter, though in that silent and peculiar manner, which danger had so
long taught him to practise.
Repeating the words, "fellows who are dodging about the water!" he added, "so much for
schooling and passing a boyhood in the settlements!  The knave has long legs though, and
shall not be trusted.  Do you keep him under
your rifle, while I creep in behind, through the
bush, and take him alive.  Fire on no account."
Heyward had already permitted his companion
to bury part of his person in the thicket, when
stretching forth an arm, he arrested him, in order
to ask"f If  see you in danger, may I not risk a shot?"
Hawk-eye regarded him a moment, like one
who knew  not how to take the question; then
nodding his head, he answered, still laughing,
though inaudibly"Fire a whole platoon, major."
In the next moment he was concealed by the
leaves. Dunican waited several minutes in feverish impatience, before he caught another glimpse
of the scout. Then he re-appeared, creeping along
the earth, from which his dress was hardly distinguishable, directly in the rear of his intended
captive. Having reached within a few yards of
ihe latter, he arose to his feet, silently and slowly.
At that instant, several loud blows were struck on
the water, and Duncan turned his eyes just in
t}me to perceive that a hundred dark forms were
plunging, in a body, into the troubled little sheet.
glasping his rifle, his looks were again bent on
the Indian near him. Instead of taking the alarm,
the unconscious savage stretched forward his
neck, as if he also watched the movements about
the gloomy lake, with a sort of silly curiosity. In




THE MOHICANS.              327
the mean time, the uplifted hand of Hawk-eye
was above him. But, without any apparent reason, it was withdrawn, and its owner indulged in
another long, though still silent, fit of merriment.
When the peculiar and hearty laughter of Hawkeye was ended, instead of grasping his victim, by
the throat, he tapped him lightly on the shoulder,
and exclaimed aloud"How now, friend! have you a mind to teach
the beavers to sing?"
" Even so," was the ready answer. "It would
seem that the Being that gave them power to improve his gifts so well, would not deny them
voices to proclaim his praise."




CHAPTER XXII.
Bot. " Are we all met?"
Qui. "Pat-pat; and here's a marvellous
Convenient place for our rehearsal."  SiSkspe;re.
THE reader may better imagine, than we describe, the surprise of Heyward. His lurking Indians were suddenly converted into four-footed
beasts; his lake into a beaver pond; his cataract
into a dam, constructed by those industrious and
ingenious quadrupeds; and a suspected enemy
into his tried friend, David Gamut, the master of
psalmody. The presence of the latter created so
many unexpected hopes relative to the sisters,
that, without a moment's hesitation, the young
man broke out of his ambush, and sprang forward
to join the two principal actors in the scene.
The merriment of Hawk-eye was not easily appeased.  Without ceremony, and with a rough
hand, he twirled the supple Gamut around on his
heel, and more than once affirmed that the Hurons had done themselves great credit in the fashion of his costume. Then seizing the hand of the
other, he squeezed it with a gripe that brought
the tears into the eyes of the placid David, and
wished him joy of his new condition.
" You were about opening your throat-practysings among the beavers, were ye!" he said. " The
cunning devils know half the trade already, for
they beat the time with their tails, as you heard
just now; and in good time it was too, or'killdeer' might have sounded the first note among
them.  I have known greater fools, who could
read and write, than an experienced old beaver;




THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.         329
but as for squalling, the animals are born dumb I
— What think you of such a song as this?"
David shut his sensitive ears, and even Heyward, apprised as he was of the nature of the cry,
looked upward in quest of the bird, as the cawing
of a crow rang in the air about them.
"See," continued the laughing scout, as he
pointed towards the remainder of the party, who,
in obedience to the signal, were already approaching; "this is music, which has its natural virtues;
it brings two good rifles to my elbow, to say
nothing of the knives and tomahawks. But we
see that you are safe; now tell us what has become of the maidens."
"They are captives to the heathen," said David; "and though greatly troubled in spirit, enjoying comfort and safety in the body."
"Both?" demanded the breathless Heyward.
"Even so. Though our wayfaring has been
sore, and our sustenance scanty, we have had little other cause for complaint, except the violence
done our feelings, by being thus led in captivity
into a far land."
":Bless ye for these very words!" exclaimed
the trembling Munro; "I shall then receive my
babes spotless, and angel like, as I lost them!"'"I know not that their delivery is at hand,"
eturned the doubting David; "the leader of
these savages is possessed of an evil spirit, that
no power, short of Omnipotence, can tame. I have
tried him, sleeping and waking, but neither sounds
nor language seem to touch his soul."
"Where is the knave?" bluntly interrupted
the scout.
"He hunts the moose to day, with his young
men; and to-morrow, as I hear, they pass further
into these forests, and nigher to the borders of
2E2




330             THE LAST OF
Canada. The elder maiden is conveyed to a neigh.,
bouring people, whose lodges are situate beyond
yonder black pinnacle of rock; while the younger
is de.ained among the women of the Hurons,
whose dwellings are but two short miles hence,
on a table land, where the fire has done the office
of the axe, and prepared the place for their reception."
"Alice, my gentle Alice!" murmured Heyward; "she has lost the consolation of her sister's
rresence!"
" Even so. But so far as praise and thanksgiving in psalmody can temper the spirit in affliction,
she has not suffered."
" Has she then a heart for music?"
"Of the -graver and more solemn character,
though it must be acknowledged, that in spite of
all my endeavours, the maiden weeps oftener than
she smiles. At such moments I forbear to press
the holy songs; but there are many sweet and
comfortable periods of satisfactory communication,
when the ears of the savages are astounded with
the upliftings of our voices."
"And why are you permitted to go at large,
unwatched?"
David composed his features into what he intended should express an air of modest humility,
before he meekly replied" Little be the praise to such a worm as I. But,
though the power of psalmody was suspended in
the terrible business of that field of blood, through
which we passed, it has recovered its influence,
even over the souls of the heathen, and I am suffered to go and come at will"
The scout laughed, and tapping his own forehead significantly, he perhaps explained the singular indulgence more satisfactorily, when he said —




THE MOHICANS.               331
c The Indians never harm a non-composser. But
why, when the path lay open before your eyes.
did you not strike back on your own trail, (it is
not so blind as that which a squirrel would make,)
and bring in the tidings to Edward?"
The scout, remembering only his own sturdy
and iron nature, had probably exacted a task, that
David, under no circumstances, could have performed.  But, without entirely losing the meekness of his air, the latter was content to answer"Though my soul would rejoice to visit the
habitations of christendom once more, my feet
would rather follow the tender spirits intrusted to
my keeping, even into the idolatrous province of
the Jesuits, than take one step backward, while
they pined in captivity and sorrow."
Though the figurative language of David was
not very intelligible to all who heard him, the
sincere and steady expression of his eye, and the
glow on his honest countenance, were not easily
mistaken.  Uncas pressed closer to his side, and
regarded the speaker with a look of grave commendation, while his father expresses' hiz satisfaction by the ordinary pithy exc!amation of app)robation.  The scout shook his head, as he rejoined —
" The Lord never intended that the man should
place all his endeavours in his throat, to the neglect of other and better gifts! But he has fallen
into the hands of some silly woman, when lie
should have been gathering his education under a
blue sky, and among the beauties of the forest
Here, friend; I did intend to kindle a fire with
this tooting whistle of thine, but as you value the
thing, take it, and blow your best on it!"
Gamut received his pitch-pipe with as strong
an expression of pleasure, as he believed it com



332              THE LAST OF
patible with the grave functions he exercised, to
exhibit. After essaying its virtues, repeatedly,
in contrast with his own voice, and satisfying
himself that none of its melody was lost, he made
a very serious demonstration towards achieving a
few stanzas of one of the longest effusions in the
little volume, so often mentioned.
Heyward, however, hastily interrupted his pious purpose, by continuing questions concerning
the past and present condition of his fellow captives, and in a manner more methodical than had
been permitted by his feelings in the opening of
their interview.  David, though he regarded his
treasure with longing eyes, was constrained to
answer; especially, as the venerable father took a
part in the interrogatories, with an interest too
imposing to be denied. Nor did the scout fail to
throw in a pertinent inquiry, whenever a fitting
occasion presented.  In this manner, though with
frequent interruptions, which were filled with certain threatening sounds from the recovered instrument, the pursuers were put in possession of such
leading circumstances, as were likely to prove
useful in accomplishing their great and engrossing
object-the recovery of the sisters.  The narrative of David was simple, and the facts but few.
Magua had waited on the mountain until a safe
moment to retire presented itself, when he had
descended, and taken the route along the western
side of the Harican, in the direction of the Canadas. As the subtle Huron was familiar with the
paths, and well knew  there was no immediate
danger of pursuit, their progress had been moderate, and far from fatiguing. - It appeared, from
the unembellished statement of David, that his
own presence had been rather endured than desired; though even Magua had not been entirely




THE MOHICANS.              333
exempt from that veneration with which the Indians regard those whom  the Great Spirit has
visited in their intellects. At night, the utmost
care had been taken of the captives, both to prevent injury from the damps of the woods, and to
guard against an escape. At the spring, the horses
were turned loose, as has been seen; and notwithstanding the remoteness and length of their trail,
the artifices already named were resorted to, in
order to cut off every clue to their place of retreat.
On their arrival at the encampment of his people,
Magua, in obedience to a policy seldom departed
from, separated his prisoners. Cora had been sent
to a tribe that temporarily occupied an adjacent
valley, though David was far too ignorant of the
customs and history of the natives, to be able to
declare any thing satisfactory concerning their
name or character. He only knew that they had
not engaged in the late expedition against William
Henry; that, like the Hurons themselves, they
were allies of Montcalm; and that they maintained an amicable, though a watchful, intercourse
with the warlike and savage people, whom chance
had, for a time, brought in such close and disagreeable contact with themselves.
The Mohicans and the scout listened to his in
terrupted and imperfect narrative, with an interest
that obviously increased as he proceeded, and it
was while attempting to explain the pursuits of
the community, in which Cora was detained, that
the latter abruptly demanded"Did you see the fashion of their knives? were
they of English or French formation?"
"My thoughts were bent on no such vanities,
but rather mingled in consolation with those of
the maidens."
"The time may come when you will not con.




334             THE L ST OF
sider the knife of a savage. such a despisable
vanity," returned the scout, with a strong expression of contempt for the other's dulness.
" Had they held their corn-feast-or can you say
any thing of the totems of their tribe?"
" Of corn, we had many and plentiful feasts; for
the grain, being in the milk, is both sweet to the
mouth and comfortable to the stomach. Of totem,
I know not the meaning; but if it appertaineth in
any wise to the art of Indian music, it need not be
inquired after at their hands. They never join
their voices in praise, and it would seem that they
are among the profanest of the idolatrous."
"Therein you belie the nature of an Indian.
Even the Mingo adores but the true and living
God!'Tis a wicked fabrication of the whites, and
I say it to the shame of my colour, that would
make the warrior bow down before images of his
own creation. It is true, they endeavour to make
truces with the wicked one-as who would not
with an enemy he cannot conquer-but they look
up for favour and assistance to the Great and Good
Spirit only."
" It may be so," said David; "but I have seen
strange-and fantastic images drawn in their paint,
of which their admiration and care, savoured of
spiritual pride; especially one, and that too a foul
and loathsome object."
"Was it a sarpent?" quickly demanded the
scout.
" Much the same.  It was in the likeness of an
abject and cr'eeping tortoise!"
"Hugh!" exclaimed both the attentive Mohicans in a breath; while the scout shook his head
with the air of one who had made an important,
but by no means pleasing discovery. Then the
father spoke, in the language of the Delawares,




THE MOHICANS.               335
and with a calmness and dignity that instantly
arrested the attention even of those, to whom his
words were unintelligible. His gestures were impressive, and, at times, energetic.  Once he lifted
his arm on high, and as it descended, the action
threw aside the folds of his light mantle, a finger
resting on his breast, as if he would enforce his
meaning by the attitude. Duncan's eyes followed
the movement, and he perceived that the animal
just mentioned was beautifully, though faintly,
worked in a blue tint, on the swarthy breast of
the chief. All that he had ever heard of the violen. separation of the vast tribes of the Delawares,
rushed across his mind, and he awaited the proper
moment to speak, with a suspense that was rendered nearly intolerable, by his interest in the
stake. His wish, however, was anticipated by the
scout, who turned from his red friend, saying"We have found that which may be good or
evil to us, as Heaven disposes. The Sagamore is
of the high blood of the Delawares, and is the
great chief of their Tortoises! That some of this
stock are among the people of whom the singer
tells us, is plain, by his words; and had he but
spent half the breath in prudent questions, that he
has blown away in making a trumpet of his throat,
we might have known how many warriors they
numbered.  It is, altogether, a dangerous path we
move in; for a friend whose face is turned from
you, often bears a bloodier mind, than the enemy
who seeks your scalp!"
" Explain," said Dutcan.
"'Tis a long and melancholy tradition, and one
[ little like to think of; for it is not to be denied,
that the evil has been mainly done by men with
white skins. But it has ended in turning the tomahawk of brother against brother, and brought the




336             THE LAST OF
Mingo and the Delaware to travel in the same
path."
" You then suspect it is a portion of that people
among whom Cora resides?"
The scout nodded his head in assent, though he
seemed anxious to waive the further discussion of
a subject that appeared painful. The impatient
Duncan now made several hasty and desperate
propositions to attempt the release of the sisters.
Munro seemed to shake off his dull apathy, and
listened to the wild schemes of the young man,
with a deference that his gray hairs and reverend
years should have denied. But the scout, after
suffering the ardour of the lover to expend itself
a little, found means to convince him of the follv
of precipitation, in a matter that would require
their coolest judgment and utmost fortitude.
" It would be well," he added, " to let this man
go in again, as usual, and for him to tarry in the
lodges, giving notice to the gentle ones of our approach, until we call him out, by signal, to consult. You know the cry of a crow, friend, from
the whistle of the whip-poor-will?"
"'Tis a pleasing bird," returned David, "and
has a soft and melancholy note! though the time
is rather quick and ill-measured."
" He speaks of the wish-ton-wish," said the
scout; "well, since you like his whistle, it shall
be your signal. Remember, then, when you hear
the whip-poor-will's call three times repeated, you
are to come into the bushes, where the bird might
be supposed-"
"Stop," interrupted Heyward; "I will accom
pany him."
"You!" exclaimed the astonished Hawk-eye
are you tired of seeing the sun rise and set?"




THEf MOHICANS.             337
David is a living proof that the Hurons can
be merciful."
"Ay, but David can use his throat, as no man,
in his senses, would pervart the gift."
" I too can play the madman, the fool, the hero;
in short, any or every thing, to rescue her I love
from such a captivity. Name your objections no
longer; I am resolved."
Hawk-eye regarded the young man a moment
in speechless amazement. But Duncan, who, in
deference to the other's skill and services, had
hitherto submitted somewhat implicitly to his dictation, now assumed the superior, with a loftiness
of manner, that was not easily resisted. He waved
his hand, in sign of his dislike to all remonstrance,
and then, in more tempered language, he continued"You have the means of disguise; change me;
paint me too, if you will; in short, alter me to any
thing-a fool."
" It is not for one like me to say that he who is
already formed by so powerful a hand as Providence, stands in need of a change," muttered the
discontented scout. "When you send your parties abroad in war, you find it prudent, at least, to
arrange the marks and places of encampment, in
order that they who fight on your side, may know
when and where to expect a friend?"
" Listen," interrupted Duncan; "you have heard
from this faithful follower of the captives, that the
Indians are of two tribes, if not of different nations.
With one, whom you think to be a branch of the
Delawares, is she you call the'dark-hair;' the
other, and younger of the ladies, is undeniably
with our declared enemies, the Hurons. It becomes my youth and rank to attempt the latter
adventure  While you, therefore, are negotiating
2F




338              THE LAST OF
with your friends for the release of one of the
sisters, I will effect that of the other, or die."
The awakened spirit of the young soldier gleamed in his eyes, and his form dilated, and became
imposing under its influence. Hawk-eye, though
too much accustomed to Indian artifices not to.
foresee all the danger of the experiment, knew
not well how to combat this sudden resolution.
Perhaps there was something in the proposal
that suited his own hardy nature, and that secret
love of desperate adventure, which had increased
with his daily experience, until hazard and danger
had become, in some measure, necessary to the
enjoyment of his existence. Instead of continu
ing to oppose the scheme of Duncan, his humoui
suddenly altered, and he lent himself to its execution.
"Come," he said, with a good humoured smile;
"'the buck that will take to the water must be
headed, and not followed! Chingachgook has as
many different paints, as the engineer officer's
wife, who takes down natur on scraps of paper,
making the mountains look like cocks of rusty
hay, and placing the blue sky in reach of your
hand-the Sagamore can use them too! Seat your
self on the log, and my life on it, he can soot
make a natural fool of you, and that, well, to your
liking."
Duncan complied, and the Mohican, who had
been an attentive listener to the discourse, readily
undertook the office. Long practised in all the
subtle arts of his race, he drew, with great dexterity and quickness, the fantastic shadow that the
natives were accustomed to consider as the evidence of a friendly and jocular disposition. Every
line that could possibly be interpreted into a secret inclination for war, was carefully avoided'




THE MOHICANS.              339
while, on the other hand, he studied those conceits that might be construed into a wish for amity.
In short, he entirely sacrificed ever: appearance of the warrior, to the masquerade of a Ljuffoon. Such exhibitions were not uncommon among
the Indians; and as Duncan was already sufficiently
disguised in his dress, there certainly did exist
some reason for believing, that with hisknowledge of French, he might pass for a juggler from
Ticonderoga, straggling among the allied and
friendly tribes.
When he was thought to be sufficiently painted,
the scout gave him  much friendly advice; concerted signals, and appointed the place where
they should meet, in the event of mutual success.
The parting between Munro and his young friend
was more melancholy and feeling; still, the former
submitted to the separation with an indifference,
that his warm  and honest nature would never
have permitted in a more healthful state of mind,
The scout led Heyward aside, and acquainted him
with his intention to leave the veteran in some
safe encampment, in'charge of Chingachgook.
while he and Uncas pursued their inquiries among
the people they had reason to believe were Delawares.  Then renewing his cautions and adv ce,
he concluded, by saying, with a solemnity and
warmth of feeling, with which Duncan was deeply
touched"And now God bless you! You have shown
a spirit that I like; for it is the gift of youth, more
especially one of warm blood and a stout heart.
But believe the warning of a man, who has reason
to know all he says to be true. You will have
occasion for your best manhood, and for a" sharper
wit than what is to be gathered in hooks, afore
you outdo the cunning, or get the better of the




340              THE LAST OF
courage of a Mingo! God bless you! if the Hu.
rons master your scalp, rely on the promise of
une, who has two stout warriors to back himThey shall pay for their victo y, with a life for
every hair it holds!  I say, young gentleman,
may Providence bless your undertaking, which is
altogether for good; and remember, that to outwit
the knaves it is lawful to practise things, that may
not be naturally the gift of a white skin."
Duncan shook his worthy and reluctant associate warmly by the hand, once more recommended his aged friend to his care, and returning his
good wishes, he motioned to David to proceed..
Hawk-eye gazed after the high-spirited and adventurous young man for several moments, in
open admiration; then shaking his head, doubtingly, lie turned, and led his own division of the
party into the concealment of the forest.
The route taken by Duncan and David, lay directly across the clearing of the beavers, and along
the margin of their pond. When the former found
himself alone with one so simple, and so little
qualified to render any assistance in desperate
emergencies, he first began to be sensible of the
difficulties of the task he had undertaken. The
fading light increased the gloominess of the'leak
and savage wilderness, that stretched so far on
every side of him, and there was even a fearful
character in the stillness of those little huts, that
he knew were so abundantly peopled.  It struck
him, as he gazed at the admirable structures, and
the wonderful precautions of their sagacious inmates, that even the brutes of these vast wilds
were possessed of an instinct nearly commensurate with his own practised reason; and he could
not reflect, without anxiety, on the unequal contest that he had so rashly courted   Then came the




THE MOHICANS                341
glowing image of Alice; her distress; her actual
danger; and all the peril of his situation faded before her loveliness.  Cheering David with his
voice, he moved more swiftly onward, with the
light and vigorous step of youth and enterprise.
After making nearly a semi-circle around the
pond, they diverged from  the water-course, and
began to ascend to the level of a slight elevation
in that bottom land, over which they journeyed.
Within half an hour they gained the margin of
another opening, that bore all the signs of having
been also made by the beavers. and which those
sagacious animals had probably been induced, by
some accident, to abandon, for the more eligible
position they now occupied. A very natural sensation caused Duncan to hesitate a moment, unwilling to leave the cover of their bushy path, as
a man pauses to collect his energies, before he
essays any hazardous experiment, in which he is
secretly conscious they will all be needed. He profited by the halt, to gather such information as
might be obtained from his short and hasty glances.
On the opposite side of the clearing, and near
the point where the brook tumbled over some
rocks, from a still higher level, some fifty or sixty
lodges, rudely fabricated of logs, brush, and earth,
intermingled, were to be discovered. They were
arranged without any order, and seemed to be
constructed with very little attention to their
neatness or beauty. Indeed, so very inferior were
they, in the two latter particulars, to the village
Duncan had just seen, that he began to expect a
second surprise, no less astonishingthan the former.
This expectation was in no degree diminished,
when, by the doubtful twilight, he beheld twenty
or thirty forms, rising alternately, from the cover
of the tall, coarse grass, in front of the lodges, and
2F2




342              THE LAST OF
then sinking again from  the sight, as it were to
blnrow in the earth.  By the sudden and hasty
glimpses that he caught of these figures, they
seemed more like dark glancing spectres, or some
other unearthly beings, than creatures fashioned
with the ordinary and vulgar materials of flesh
and blood. A gaunt, naked form, was seen, for
a single instant, tossing its arms wildly in the
air, and then the spot it had filled was vacant; the
figure appearing, suddenly, in some other and distant place, or being succeeded by another, possessing the same mysterious character. David, observing that his companion lingered, pursued the
direction of his gaze, and in some measure recalled the recollection of Heyward, by speaking"'here is much fruitful soil uncultivated here,"
he said; "and I may add, without the sinful leaven of self-commendation, that, since my short
sojourn in these heathenish abodes, much good
seed has been scattered by the way-side."
" The tribes are fonder of the chase, than of the
arts of men of labour," returned the unconscious
Duncan, still gazing at the objects of his wonder
"It is rather joy than labour to the spirit, to lift
up the voice in praise; but sadly do these boys
abuse their gifts! Rarely have I found any of
their age, on whom nature has so freely bestowed
the elements of psalmody; and surely,surely, there
are none who neglect them more. Three nights have
I now tarried here, and three several times have
I assembled'the urchins to join in sacred song
and as often have they responded to my efforts
with whoopings and howlings that have chilled
my inmost soul!"
" Of whom speak you?"
"Of those children of the devil, who waste their
precious moments in yonder idle antics.. Ah!




THE MOHICANS.               343
the wholesome restraint of discipline is but little
known among this self-abandoned people!  In a
country of birches, a rod is never seen; and it
ought not to appear a marvel in my eyes, that the
choicest blessings of Providence are wasted in
such cries as these."
David closed his ears against the juvenile pack,
whose yell just then rang shrilly through the
forest; and Duncan, suffering his lip to curl'in a
proud smile, as in mockery at his own momentary superstition, said firmly" We will proceed."
Without removing the safeguards from his ears,
the master of song complied, and together they
pursued their way, boldly, towards what David
was sometimes wont to call' the tents of the
Philistines."




CHAPTER XXIII.
-" But though the beast of game
The privilege of chase may claim;
Though space and law the stag we lend,
Ere hound we slip, or bow webend;
Whoever recked, where, how, or when,
The prowling fox was trapped or slain."
Lady of tlre Lake.
IT is unusual to find an encampment of the natives, like those of the more instructed whites,
guarded by the presence of armed men.  Well
informed of the approach of every danger, while
it is yet at a distance, the Indian generally rests
secure under his knowledge of the signs of the
forest, and the long and difficult paths that separate him from those he has most reason to dread.
But the enemy who, by any lucky concurrence of
accidents, has found means to elude the vigilance
of the scouts, will seldom meet with sentinels
nearer home to sound the alarm. In addition to
this general usage, the tribes friendly to the French
king knew too well the weight of the blow that
had just been struck, to apprehend any immediate
danger from the hostile nations that were tributary
to the crown of Britain.
When Duncan and David, therefore,found them
selves in the centre of the busy children, who played the antics already mentioned, it was without
the least previous intimation of their approach.
But so soon as they were observed, the whole of
the juvenile pack raised, by common consent, a
single shrill and warning whoop; and then sunk,
as it were, by magic, from before the sight of
their visiters. The naked, tawny bodies of the
crouching urchins, blended so nicely, at that hour,




THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.         345
with the withered herbage, that at first it seemed
as if the earth had, in truth, swallowed up their
forms;though when surprise had permitted Dun.
can to bend his own wondering looks more curiously about the spot, he found them every where
met by dark, quick, and rolling eye-balls.
Gathering no encouragement from this startling
j)resage, of the nature of the scrutiny he was likely
to undergo from the more mature judgments of
the men, there was an instant when the young
soldier would gladly have retreated. It was, however, too late to appear even to hesitate. The cry
of the children had drawn a dozen warriors to the
door of the nearest lodge, where they stood, clustered in a dark and savage groupe, gravely awaiting the nearer approach of those who had thus
unexpectedly come among them.
David, in some measure familiarized to the
scene, led the way, with a steadiness that no slight
obstacle was likely to disconcert, into this very
building. It was the principal edifice of the village, though roughly constructed of the bark and
branches of trees; being the lodge in which the
tribe held its councils and public meetings, during
their temporary residence on the borders of the
English province.  Duncan found it difficult to
assume the necessary appearance of unconcern, as
he brushed the dark and powerful frames of the
savages who thronged its threshold; but, conscious
that his existence depended on his presence of
mind, he trusted to the discretion of his companion, whose footsteps he closely followed, endeavouring, as he proceeded, to rally his thoughts
for the occasion. His blood had stagnated for a
moment, when he found himself in absolute con'
tact with such fierce and implacable enemies;-but
he so far mastered his feelings, as to pursue his




346              THE LAST OF
way into the centre of the lodge, with an exterior
that did not betray the weakness.  Imitating the
example of the deliberate Gamut, he drew a bundle
of fragrant brush from beneath a pile, that filled a
corner of the hut, and seated-himself, in silence.
So soon as their visiter had passed, the observant
xv arriors fell back from the entrance, and arrangillg themselves about him, they seemed patiently
to await the moment when it might comport with
the dignity of the stranger to speak. By far the
greater number stood leaning, in lazy, lounging
attitudes, against the upright posts that supported
the crazy building, while three or four of the
oldest and most distinguished of the chiefs placed
themselves, in their ordinary manner, on the earth,
a little more in advance.
A flaring torch was burning in the place, and
sent its red glare from face to face, and figure to
figure, as it wavered, inconstantly, in the currents
of air. Duncan profited by its light, to read, with
jealous looks, the probable character of his recep
tion, in the countenances of his hosts. But his
ingenuity availed him little, against the cold artifices of the people he had encountered. The chiefs
in front scarce cast a glance at his person, keeping
their eyes fastened on the ground, with an air that
might have been intended for respect, but which
it was quite easy to construe into distrust. The
men, in shadow, were less reserved.  Duncan
soon detected their searching, but stolen looks,
which, in truth, scanned his person and attire
inch by inch; leaving no,emotion of the countenance, no gesture, no line of the paint, nor even
the fashion of a garment, unheeded, and without
its secret comment.
At length, one whose hair was beginning to be
sprinkled with gray, but whose sinewy limbs and




THE MOHICANS.              347
firm tread announced that he was still equal to the
arduous duties of manhood, advanced from out the
gloom of a corner, whither he had probably post.
ed himself to make his observations unseen, and
spoke. He used the language of the Wyandots,
or Hurons: his wolds were, cohsequently, unintelligible to Heyward, though they seemed, by
the gestures that accompanied them, to be uttered
more in courtesy than anger. The latter shook
his head, and made a gesture indicative of his inability to reply.
" Do none of my brothers speak the French or
the English?" he said, in the former language,
looking about him, from countenance to countenance, in hopes of finding a nod of assent.
Though more than one head turned, as if to
catch the meaning of his words, they remained
unanswered.
" I should be grieved to think," continued Dun
can, speaking slowly, and using the simplest
French of which he was the master, "to believe
that none of this wise and brave nation understand the language that the'Grand Monarque'
uses, when he taiks to his children.  His heart
would be heavy, did he believe his red warriors
paid him so little respect!"
A long and grave pause succeeded,during which
no movement of a limb, nor any expression of an
eye, betrayed thel impression produced by his re
mark. Duncan, who knew that silence was a vir
tue amongst his hosts, gladly had recourse to the
custom, in order to arrange his ideas.  At length,
the same warrior, who had before addressed him,
replied, by dryly demanding, in the slight patois
of the Cana:ds —
"When our Great Father speaks to his people,
is it with the tongue of a Huron?"




348             THE LAST OF
"He knows no difference in his children, whe.
ther the colour uf the skin be red, or black, or
white,'? returned Duncan, evasively; "though
chiefly is he satisfied with.the brave Hurons."
"In what manner will he speak," demanded
the wary chief, " when the runners count, to him,
the scalps which five nights ago grew on the heads
of the Yengeese?"
"They were his enemies," said Duncan, shuddering involuntarily; " and, doubtless, he will say
it is good-my Hurons are very valiant."
" Our Canada father does not think it. Instead
of looking forward to reward his Indians, his eyes
are turned backward. He sees the dead Yengeese,
but no Huron. What can this mean?"
"A  great chief, like him, has more thoughts
than tongues.  He looks to see that no enemies
are on his trail."
" The canoe of a dead warrior will not float on
the Horican," returned the savage, gloomily.
"His ears are open to the Delawares, who are not
our friends, and they fill them with lies."
" It cannot be. See; he has bid me, wi.o am a
man that knows the art of healing, to go to his
children, the red Hlurons of the Great lakes, and
ask if any are sick!"
Another long and deep silence succeeded this
annunciation of the character Duncan had assunmed.  Every eye was simultaneously bent on his
person, as if to inquire into the truth or falsehood
of the declaration, with an intelligence and keenness, that caused the subject of their scrutiny to
tremble for the result. He was, however, relieved again, by the former speaker.
"Do the cunning men of the Canadas paint
their skins," the Huron, coldly, continued; "we
have heard them -hbnst that their fnees were pale?




THE MOHICANS.               349
"When an Indian chief comes among his white
fathers," returned Duncan, with great steadiness,
" he lavs aside his buffalo robe, to carry the shirt
that is offered him.  My brothers have given me
paint, and I wear it."
A low murmur of applause announced that the
compliment to the tribe was favourably received.
The elderly chief made a gesture of commendation, which was answered by most of his companions, who each threw forth a hand, and uttered
the usual brief exclamation of pleasure.  Duncan
began to breathe more freely, believing that the
weight of his examination was past; and as he
had already prepared a simple and probable tale
to support his pretended occupation, his hopes of
ultimate success grew brighter
After a silence of a few moments, as if adjusting his thoughts, in order to make a suitable answer to the declaration their guest had just given,
another warrior arose, and placed himself in an
attitude to speak. While his lips were yet in the
act of parting, a low, but fearful sound, arose from
the forest, and was immediately succeeded by a
high, shrill yell, that was drawn out, until it
equalled the longest and most plaintive howl of
the wolf.  The sudden and terrible interruption
caused Duncan to start from his seat, unconscious
of every thing, but the effect produced by so
frightful a cry. At the same moment, the warriors glided in a body from the lodge, and the outer
air was filled with loud shouts, that nearly drown
ed those awful sounds, which the organs of Duncan occasionally announced, were still ringing
beneath the arches of the woods. Unable to command himself any longer, the youth broke from
the place, and presently stood in the centre of a
disodierly throng, that- included, nearly: every
Y~~~~




350              THE LAST OF
thing having life, within the limits of the encampmnent.  Men, women, and children; the aged,
the infirm, the active, and the strong, were alike
abroad; some exclaiming aloud, others clapping
[heir hands with a joy that seemed frantic, and
all expressing their savage pleasure in s6me unexpected event. Though astounded, at first, by
the uproar, Heyward was soon enabled to find its
solution by the scene that followed.
There yet lingered sufficient light in the heavens, to exhibit those bright openings among the
tree-tops, where different paths left the clearing to
enter the depths of the wilderness. Beneath one
of them, a line of warriors issued from the woods,
and advanced slowly toward the dwellings. One
in front bore a short pole, on which, as it afterwards appeared, were suspended several human
scalps.  The startling sounds that Duncan had
heard, were what the whites have, not inappro
priately, called the "death-halloo;" and each repetition of the cry was intended to announce to the
tribe, the fate of an enemy. Thus far the knowledge of Heyward assisted him in the explanation;
and as he now knew that the interruption was
caused by the unlooked-for return of a successful
war-party, every disagreeable sensation was quieted, in inward congratulations, for the opportune
relief and insignificance it conferred on himself.
WChen at the distance of a few hundred feet
from the lodges, the newly arrived warriors halted.  Their plaintive and terrific cry, which was
intended to represent, equally, the wailings of the
dead and the triumph of the victors, had entirely
ceased.  One of their number now called aloud,
in words that were far from appalling, though not
more intelligible to those for whose ears they
were intended, than their expressive yells. It




THE MOHICANS.               351
would be difficult to convey a suitable idea of the
savage ecstacy with which the news, thus impac.'
ed, was received.  The whole encampment, in a
moment, became a scene of the most violent bustle and commotion.  The warriors drew  their
knives, and flourishing them  on high, they arranged themselves in two lines, forming a lane,
that extended from the war-party to the lodges.
The squaws seized clubs, axes, or whatever weapon of offence first offered itself to their hands,
and rushed eagerly to act their part in the cruel
game that was at hand. Even the children would
not be excluded; but boys, little able to wield the
instruments, tore the tomahawks from the belts
of their fathers, and stole into the ranks, apt imitators of the savage traits exhibited by their parents.
Large piles of brush lay scattered about the
clearing, and a wary and aged squaw was occupied
in firing as many as might serve to light the coming exhibition. As the flame arose, its power exceeded that of the parting day, and assisted to render objects, at the same time, more distinct and
more hideous.  The whole scene formed a striking picture, whose frame was composed by the
dark and tall border of pines. The warriors just
arrived were the most distant figures.  A little
in advance, stood two men, who were apparently
selected from the rest, as the principal actors in
what was to follow.  The light was not strong
enough to render their features distinct, though
it was quite evident. that they were governed by
very different emotions. While one stood erect
and firm, prepared to meet his fate like a hero,
the other bowed his head, as if palsied by terror.
Qr stricken with shame. The high spirited Duncan felt a powerful impulse of admiration and pity




352             THE LAST Of
towards the former, though no opportunity could
offer to exhibit his generous emotions. He watchel his slightest movement, however, with eager
eyes; and as he traced the fine outline of his admirably proportioned. and active frame, he endeavoured to persuade himself, that if the powers of
man, seconded by such noble resolution, could
bear one harmless through so severe a trial, the
youthful captive before him, might hope for success in the hazardous race he was about to run.
Insensibly the young man drew nigher to the
swarthy lines of the Hurons, and scarcely breathed, so intense became his interest in the spectacle.
Just then the signal yell was given, and the momentary quiet, which had preceded it, was broken by a burst of cries, that far exceeded any
before heard.  The most abject of the two victims continued motionless; but the other bounded from the place, at the cry, with the activity
and swiftness of a deer. Instead of rushing through
the, hostile lines, as had been expected, he just
entered the dangerous defile, and before time was
given for a single blow, turned short, and leaping
the heads of a row of children, he gained at once
the extetior and safer side of the formidable array
The artifice was answered by a hundred voices
raised in imprecations, and the whole of the excited multitude broke from their order, and spread
themselves about the place in wild confusion.
A dozen blazing piles now shed their lurid
brightness on the place, which resembled sGne
unhallowed and supernatural arena, in which malicious demons had assembled to act their bloody
and lawless rites. Those forms in the back ground,
looked like unearthly beings, gliding before the
eye, and cleaving the air with frantic and unmeaning gestures; while the savage passions of




THE MOHICANS.              353
such as passed the flames, were rendered fearfilly
distinct, by the gleams that shot athwart their
dusky but inflamed visages.
It will easily be understood, that amid such a
concourse of vindictive enemies, no breathing
time was permitted to the fugitive. There was a
single moment, when it seemed as if he would
have reached the forest, but the whole body of his
captors threw themselves before him, and drove
him back into the centre of his relentless persecutors. Turning like a headed deer, he shot, with
the swiftness of an arrow, through a pillar of forked flame, and passingthe whole multitude harmless,
he appeared on the opposite side of the clearing.
Here, too, he was met and turned by a few of the
older and more subtle of the Hurons. Once more
he t:ted the throng, as if seeking safety in its
blindffes,:and then several moments succeeded,
during which Duncan believed the active and
couageoils young stranger was irretrievably lost.
Nothirng could be distinguished but a dark mass
df human forms, tossed and involved in inexplicable confusion. Arms, gleaming knives, and
formidable clubs, appeared above them, but the
blows were evidently given at random.  The awful effect was heightened by the piercing shrieks
of the women, and the fierce yells of the warriors. Now and then, Duncan caught a glimpse of
a light form cleaving the air in some desperate
bound, and he rather hoped than believed, that
the captive yet retained the command of his as
tonishtng powers of activity. Suddenly, the multitude rolled backward, and approached the spot
where he himself stood. The heavy body in the
rear pressed upon the women and children in
front, and bore them to the earth.  The stranger
re-appeared in the confusion. Human power could
2G2




354             THE LAST OF
not, however, much longer endure so severe a
trial. Of this the captive seemed conscious. Profiting by the momentary opening, he darted from
among the warriors, and made a desperate, and
what seemed to Duncan, a final effort to gain the
wood. As if aware that no danger was to be apprehended from the young soldier, the fugitive
nearly brushed his person in his flight. A tall
and powierful Huron, who had husbanded his
forces, pressed close upon his heels, and with an
uplifted arm, menaced a fatal blow. Duncan thrust
forth a foot, and the shock precipitated the eager
savage, headlong, many feet in advance of his
intended victim. Thought itself is not quicker
than was the motion with which the latter profited by the advantage; he turned, gleamed like a
meteor again before the eyes of Duncan, and at
the next moment, when the latter recovered his
recollection, and gazed around in quest of the captive, he saw him quietly leaning against a small
painted post, which stood before the door of the
principal lodge.
Apprehensive that the part he had taken in the
escape might prove fatal to himself, Duncan left
the place without delay. He followed the crowd,
which drew nigh the lodges, gloomy and sullen,
like any other multitude that had been disappointed in an execution. Curiosity, or, perhaps,
a better feeling, induced him to approach the
stranger. He found him, standing, with one arm
cast about the protecting post, and breathing thick
and hard, after his incredible exertions, but still
disdaining to permit a single sign of suffering to
escape.  His person was now protected, by immemorial and sacred usage, until the tribe in council had deliberated and determined on his fate. It
was not difficult, however, to foretell the result, if




THE MOHICANS.              355
any presage could be drawn from the feelings of
those who crowded the place.
There was no term  of abuse known to the
Huron vocabulary, that the disappointed women
did not lavishly expend on the successful stranger.
They flouted at his efforts, and told him, with
many and bitter scoffs, that his feet were better
than his hands, and that he merited wings, while
he knew not the use of an arrow, or a knife. To
all this, the captive made no reply; but was content to preserve an attitude, in which dignity was
singularly blended with disdain. Exasperated as
much by his composure as by his good fortune,
their words became unintelligible, and were succeeded by shrill, piercing yells. Just then, the
crafty squaw, who had taken the necessary precaution to fire the piles, made her way through
the throng, and cleared a place for herself in front
of thecaptive.  The squalid and withered person
of this hag, might well have obtained for her the
character of possessing more than human cunning.
Throwing back her light vestment, she stretched
forth her long, skinny, arm in derision, and using
the language of the Lenape, as more intelligible
to the subject of her gibes, she commenced aloud.
"Look you, Delaware!" she said, snapping her
fingers in his face; "your nation is a race of women, and the hoe is better fitted to your hands
than the gun! Your squaws are the mothers of
deer; but if a bear, or a wild cat, or a serpent,
were horn among you, ye would flee! The Huron
girls shall make you petticoats, and we will find
you a husband."
A loud burst of savage and taunting laughter succeeded this attack, during which the soft and musical merriment of the younger females, strangely
chimed with the cracked voice of their older and




356              THE LAST OF
more malignant companion.  But the stranger
was superior to all their efforts.  His head was
immovable; nor did he betray the slightest consciousness that any were present, except when his
haughty eye rolled proudly towards the dusky
forms of the warriors, who stalked in the back
ground, silent and sullen observers of the scene.
Infuriated at the self-command of the captive,
the woman placed her arms akimbo, and throwing herself into a posture of defiance, she broke
out anew, in a torrent of words, that no art of ours
could commit, successfully, to paper. Her breath
was, however, expended in vain; for,. although
distinguished in her nation as a proficient in the
art of abuse, she was permitted to work herself
into such a fury, as actually to foam at the mouth,
without causing a muscle'to vibrate in the motionless figure of the stranger. The effect of his indifference began to extend itself to the other spectators; and a youngster, who was just quitting the
condition of a boy, to en'ter the state of manhood,
attempted to' assist the termagant, by flourishing
his tomahawk before their victim, and adding his
empty boasts to the taunts of the woman. Then,
indeed, the captive turned his face towards the
light, and looked down on the stripling with a
loftiness of expression, that was even superior to
contempt.  At the next moment, he resumed his
quiet and repining attitude against the post. But
the action and the change of posture had permitted
Duncan to':exchange glances with the firm and
piercing eyes of Uncas.
Breathless with amazement, and heav'y op
pressed with the critical situation of his friend,
Heyward recoiled before the look, trembling lest
its meaning expression might, in some unknown
manner. hasten the prisoner's fate.  There was




THE MOHrIANS.               357
tot, however, any instant cause for such an apprehension.  Just then a warrior forced his way
into the exasperated crowd.  Motioning the wo
men and children aside with a stern gesture, he
took Uncas by the arm, and led him towards the
door of the council lodge. Thither all the chiefs,
and most of the distinguished warriors, followed,
among whom the anxious Hey ward found means
to enter, without attracting any dangerous attention to himself.
A few minutes were consumed in disposing of
those present in a manner suitable to their rank
and influence in the tribe. An order very similar
to that adopted in the preceding interview was
observed; the aged and superior chiefs occupying
the area of the spacious apartment, within the
powerful light of a glaring torch, while their
juniors and inferiors were arranged in the back
ground, presenting a dark outline to the picture,
of swarthy and sternly marked visages. In the
very centre of the lodge, immediately under an
opening that admitted the twinkling light of one
or two stars, stood Uncas, calm, elevated, and
collected.  His high and haughty carriage was
not lost on his captors, who often bent their looks
oo his person, with eyes, which, while they lost
none of their inflexibility of purpose, plainly betrayed their admiration of the stranger's daring.
The case was different with the individual,
whom  Duncan had observed to stand forth with
his friend, previously to the desperate trial of
speed; and who, instead of joining in the chase,
had remained, throughout all its turbulent uproar,
like a cringing statue, expressive of shame and
disgrace. Though not a hand had been extended
to greet him, nor yet an eye had condescended to
watch: his movements, he had also entered the




358             THE LAST OF
lodge, as though impelled by a fate, to whose decrees he submitted, seemingly, without a struggle.
Heyward profited by the first opportunity to gaze
in his face, secretly apprehensive he might find
the features of another acquaintance, but they
proved to be those of a stranger, and what was
still more inexplicable, of one who bore all the
distinctive marks of a Huron warrior.  Instead
of mingling with his tribe, however, he sat apart,
a solitary being in a multitude, his form shrinking into a crouching and abject attitude, as if
anxious to fill as little space as possible. When
each individual had taken his proper station, and
a breathing silence reigned in the place, the grayhaired chief, already introduced to the reader,
spoke aloud, in the language of the Lenni Lenape.
" Delaware," he said, "though one of a nation
of women, you have proved yourself a man.  I
would give you food, but he who eats with a
Huron, should become his friend. Rest in peace
till the morning sun, when our words shall bo
spoken to you."
"Seven nights, and as many summer days,
have I fasted on the trail of the Hurons," Uncas
coldly replied; " the children of the Lenape know
how to travel the path of the just, without lingering to eat."
"Two of my young men are in pursuit of your
companion," resumed the other, without appearing to regard the boast of his captive; " when
they get back, then will our wise men say to
you-live or die."
"Has a Huron no ears?" scornfully exclaimed
Uneas; "twice since he has been your prisoner,
has the Delaware heard a gunr that he knows!
Your young men will never cume back."
A short and sullen pause succeeded this con




THE MOHICANS.              359
fident assertion.  Duncan, who understood the
Mohican to allude to the fatal rifle of the scout,
bent forward in earnest observation of the effect
it might produce on the conquerors; but the chief
was content with simply retorting"If the Lenape are so skilful, why is one of
their bravest warriors here?"
" He followed in the steps of a flying coward,
and fell into a snare. The cunning beaver may
be caught!"
As Uncas thus replied, he pointed with his
finger towards the solitary Huron, but without
deigning to bestow any other notice on so unworthy an object. The words of the answer, and
the air of the speaker, produced powerful sensation among his auditors. Every eye rolled sullenly toward the individual indicated by the simple gesture, and a low, threatening murmur, passed
through the crowd. The ominous sounds reached
the outer door, and the women and children pressing into the throng, no gap had been left, between
shoulder and shoulder, that was not, now, filled
with the dark lineaments of some eager and curious
human countenance.
In the mearh time, the more aged chiefs, in the
centre, communed with each other, in short and
broken sentences. Not a word was uttered, that
(lid not convey the meaning of the speaker, in the
simplest and most energetic form.  Again, a long
and deeply solemn pause took place.  It was
known, by all present, to be the grave precursor
of a wdighty and important judgment. They who
composed the outer circle of faces, were )n tiptoe
to gaze; and even the culprit, for an instant, forgot his shame, in a deeper emotion, and exposed
his abject features, in order to cast an anxious
and troubled glance at the dark assemblage of




3(60            THE LAST OF
chiefs   The deep and impressive silence was
finally broken by the aged warrior, so often named. He arose from the earth, and moving past the
immovable form of Uncas, placed himself in a
dignified and erect attitude before the-offender.
At that moment, the withered squaw, already
mentioned, moved into the circle, in a slow, sideiing sort of a dance, holding the torch, and muttering the indistinct words of what might have
been a species of incantation. Though her presence was altogether an intrusion, it was unheeded.
Approaching Uncas, she held the blazing brand
in such a manner, as to cast its red glare on his
person, and expose the slightest emotion of his
countenance. The Mohican chief maintained his
firm and haughty attitude; and his eye, so far
from deigning to meet her inquisitive look, dwelt
steadily on the distance, as though it penetrated
the obstacles which impeded the view, and looked
deep into futurity.  Satisfied with her examination, she left him, with a slight expression of pleasure, and proceeded to practise the same trying
experiment on her delinquent countryman.
The young Huron was in his war paint, and
very little of a finely moulded form was concealed
by his attire. The light rendered every limb and
ioint discernible, and Duncan turned away in
horror, when he saw they were writhing in irrepressible agony. The woman was commencing a
low and plaintive howl, at the sad and shameful
spectacle, when the chief put forth his hand, and
gently pushed her aside.
"Reed-that-bends," he said, addressing the
young culprit by name, and in his proper language, "though the Great Spirit has made you
pleasant to the eyes, it would have been better
that you had not been born. Your tongue is loud




THE MOHICANS.              361
in the village, but in battle it is still. None of
my young men strike the tomahawk deeper into
the war-post-none of them  so lightly on the
Yengeese.  The enemy know the shape of your
back, but they have never seen the colour of your
eyes. Three times have they called on you to
come, and as often did you forget to answer.
Your name will never be mentioned, again, in
your tribe-it is already forgotten."
As the chief slowly uttered these words, pausing impressively between each sentence, the culprit raised his face, in deference to the other's rank
and years.  Shame, horror, and pride, struggled
fearfully in its speaking lineaments.  His eye,
which was contracted with inward anguish, gleamed around on the persons of those whose breath
was his fame, and the latter emotion, for an instant
predominated.  He arose to his feet, and baring
his bosom, looked steadily on the keen, glittering
knife, that was already upheld by his inexorable
judge.  As the weapon passed slowly into his
heart, he even smiled, as if in joy, at having found
death less dreadful than he had anticipated, and
fell heavily on his face, at the feet of the rigid and
unyielding form of Uncas.
The squaw gave a loud and plaintive yell, dashed the torch to the earth. and buried every thing
in darkness.  The whole shuddering groupe of
spectators glided from the lodge, like troubled
sprites; and Duncan thought that he and the yet
throbbing body of the victim of an Indian judg.
ment, had now become its only tenants.
H




CHAPTER XXIV.' Thus spoke the sage: the kings without delay
Dissolve the council, and their chief obey."-Pope's Iliad
A SINGLE moment, however, served to convince
the youth that he was mistaken. A hand was laid,
with a powerful pressure, on his arm, and then
the low voice of Uncas muttered in his ears" The Hurons are dogs! The sight of a coward's
blood can never make a warrior tremble. The'gray head' and the Sagamore are safe, and the
rifle of Hawk-eye is not asleep.  Go —Uncas and
the'open hand' are now strangers. It is enough.'
Heyward would gladly have heard more, but a
timely effort from  his friend, urged him  toward
the door, and admonished him of the danger that
might attend the discovery of their intercourse.
Slowly and reluctantly yielding to the necessity,
he quitted the place, and mingled with the throng
that hovered nigh. The (lying fires in the clear
ing, cast a dim and uncertain light on the dusky
figures, that were silently stalking to and fro;
and, occasionally, a brighter gleam than common
glanced into the darkness of the lodge, and exhibited the figure of Uncas, still maintaining its
upright attitude above the dead body of the Huron.
A knot of warriors soon entered the place again,
and re-issuing, they bore the senseless remains
into the adjacent woods. After this solemn terminaticn of the scene, Duncan wandered among
the lodges, unquestioned and unnoticed, endeavouring to find some trace of her, in whose behalf
he incurred the risk he ran.  In the present temper of the tribe, it would have been easy to have
fled and rejoined his companions, had such a wish




THE LAST OF TIE MOHICANS.           363
crossed his mind.  But, in addition to the neverceasing anxiety on account of Alice, a fresher,
though feebler, interest in the fate of Uncas, assisted to chain him to the spot.  He continued,
therefore, to stray from hut to hut, looking into
each only to encounter additional disappointments,
until he had made the entire circuit of the village.
Abandoning a species of inquiry that proved so
fiuitless, lie retraced his steps to the council lodge,
resolved to seek and question David, in order to
put an end to doubts that were becoming painful.
On reaching the building, which had.pro.ved
alike the seat of judgment and the place of execution, the young man found that the excitement
had already subsided. The warriors had re-assembled, and were nowv calmly smoking, while they
conversed gravely on the chief incidents of their
recent expedition to the head of the Horican.
Though the return of Duncan was likely to remind them of his character, and the suspicious circumstances of his visit, it produced no visible sensation.  So far, the terrible scene that had just
occurred, proved favourable to his views, and he
required no other proml)ter than his own feelings
to convince him of the expediency of profiting by
so unexpected an advantage.
Without seeming to hesitate, he walked into
the lodge, and took his seat with a gravity that
accorded, admirably, with the deportment of his
hosts.  A hasty, but searching glance, sufficed to
tell him, that tlough Uncas still remained where
he had left him, David had not re-appeared.  No
other restraint was imposed on the former. than
the watchful looks of a young Huron, who W had
)laced himself at hand; though an armed warrior
caned against the post that formed one side of the
narrow door-way.  In every other respect, the




364              THE LAST OF
captive seemed at liberty; still, he was excluded
from all participation in the discourse, and possessed much more of the air of some finely moulded statue, than a man having life and volition.
HIeyward had, too recently, witnessed a fright.
ful instance of the prompt punishments of the
people, into whose hands he had fallen, to hazard
an exposure by any officious boldness.  He would
greatly have preferred silence and meditation to
speech, when a discovery of his real condition
might prove so instantly fatal.  Unfortunately for
this prudent resolution, his entertainers appeared
otherwise disposed.  He had not long occupied
the seat he had wisely taken, a little in the shade,
when another of the elder warriors, who spoke
the French language, addressed him"My Canada father does not forget his children!" said the chief; "I thank him.  An evil
spirit lives in the wife of one of my young men.
Can the cunning stranger frighten him away?"
Heyward possessed some knowledge of the
mummery practised among the Indians, in'the
cases of such supposed visitations.  He saw, at a
glance, that the circumstance might possibly be
improved to further his own ends.  It would,
therefore, have been difficult, just then, to have
uttered a proposal, that would have given him
more satisfac.tlon. Aware of the necessity of preserving the dignity of his imaginary character,
however, he repressed. his feelings, and answered
with suitable mystery"Spirits differ; some yield to the power of
wisdom, while others are too strong."
"My brother is a great medicine!" said the
gunning savage; " he will try?"
A gesture of assent was the answer.  The Huron was content with the assurance, and resuming




THE MOHICANS.               385
his pipe, he awaited the proper moment to move.
The impatient Heyward, inwardly execrating the
cold customs of the savages, which required sulch
a sacrifice to appearances, was fain to assume al
air of indifference, equal to that maintained by the
chief, who was, in truth, a near relative of the
afflicted woman. The minutes lingered, and the
delay had seemed an hour to the adventurer in
empiricism, when the Huron laid aside his pipe,
and drew his robe across his breast, as if about to
lead the way to the lodge of the invalid. Just
then, a warrior of powerful frame darkened the
door, and stalking silently among the attentive
groupe, he seated himself on one end of that low
pile of brush, which sustained Duncan on its
other. The latter cast an impatient look at his
neighbour, and felt his flesh creep with uncontrollable horror, when he found himself in actual
contact with Magua.
The sudden return of this artful and dreaded
chief, caused a delay in the intended departure of
the Huron. Several pipes, that had been extinguished, were lighted again; while the new comer, without speaking a word, drew his tomahawk
from his girdle, and filling the bowl on its head,
began to inhale the vapours of the weed through
the hollow handle, with as much indifference, as
if he had not been absent two weary days, on a
long and toilsome hunt. Ten minutes, which appeared so many ages to Duncan, might have passed in this manner; and the warriors were fairly
enveloped in a cloud of white smoke, before one
of them uttered the significant word" Welcome! Has my friend found the moose?"
"The young men stagger under their burthens,"
returned Magua.  "Let' Reed-that-bends' go on
the hunting path; he will meet them."
2H2




366             THE LAST OF
A deep ana awful silence Succeeded the utter.
ance of the forbidden name.  Each pipe dropped
from -the lips of its owner, as though all had inhaled an impurity at the same instant. The smoke
wreathed above their heads in little eddies, and
curling in a spiral form, it ascended swiftly
through the opening in the roof of the lodge,
leaving the place beneath clear of its fumes, and
each dark visage distinctly visible. The eyes of
most of the warriors were riveted on the earth,
though a few of the younger and less gifted of
the party, suffered their wild and glaring balls to
roll in the direction of a white headed savage,
who sate between two of the most venerated chiefs
of the tribe. There was nothing in the air or attire of this Indian, that would seem to entitle him
to such a distinction. The former was rather depressed, than remarkable for the proud bearing of
the natives; and the latter was such as was commonly worn by the ordinary men of the nation.
Like most around him, for more than a minute,
his look, too, was on the ground; but trusting his
eyes, at length, to steal a glance aside, he perceived that he was becoming an object of general attention. Then he arose, and lifted his voice amid
tie general silence.
"It was a lie," he said; "I had no son! He
who was called by that name is forgotten; his
blood was pale, and came not from the veins of
a Huron; the wicked Chippewas cheated my
squaw! The Great Spirit has said, that the fa
mily of Wiss-en-tush should end-he is happy
who knows that the evil of his race dies with
himself!  I have done."
The father then looked round and about him,
as if seeking commendation for his stoicism, ~n the
eyes of his auditors. But the stern customs of his




THE MOHICANS.              367
peol.e had made too severe an exaction of the feeble old man.  The expression of his eye contradicted his figurative and boastful language, while
every muscle in his swarthy and wrinkled visage
was working with inward anguish.  Standinga
single minute to enjoy his bitter triumph, he turned away, as if sickening at the gaze of men, and
veiling his face in his blanket, he walked from the
lodge, with the noiseless step of an Indian, and
sought, in the privacy of his own abode, the sympathy of one like himself, aged, forlorn, and childless.
The Indians, who believe in the hereditary
transmission of virtues and defects in character,
suffered him to depart in silence. Then, with an
elevation of breeding that many in a more cultivated state of society might profitably emulate,
one of the chiefs drew the attention of the young
men from the weakness they had just witnessed,
by saying, in a cheerful voice, addressing himself
in courtesy to Magua, as the newest comer" The Delawares have been like bears after the
honey-pots, prowling around my village. But
who has ever found a Iuron asleep!"
The darkness of the impending cloud which
precedes a burst of thunder, was not blacker than
the brow of Magua, as he exclaimed" The Delawares of the Lakes!"
"Not so. They who wear the petticoats of
squaws on their own river. One of them has been
passing the tribe."
"Did my young men take his scalp?"
" His legs were good, though his arm is better
for the hoe than the tomahawk," returned the
other, pointing to the immovable form of Uncas.
Instead of manifesting any womanish curiosity
to feast his eyes with the sight of a captive from




368             THE LAST OF
a people he was known to have so much reason to
hate, Magua continued to smoke, with the meditative air that he usually maintained, when there
was no immediate call on his cunning or his eloquence.  Although secretly amazed at the facts
betrayed in the speech of the aged father, he permitted himself to ask no questions, reserving all
his inquiries for a more suitable moment.  It was
only after a sufficient interval, that he shook the
ashes from  his pipe, replaced  the tomahawk,
tightened his girdle, and arose, casting, for the
first time, a glance in the direction of the prisoner, who stood a little behind him. The wary,
though seemingly abstracted, Uncas, caught a
glinmpse of the movement, and turning suddenly
to the light, their looks met. Near a minute these
two bold and untamed spirits stood regarding one
another steadily in the eye, neither quailing in
the least before the fierce gaze he encountered
The form of Uncas dilated, and his nostrils opened, like a tiger at bay; but so rigid and unyielding
was his posture, that he might easily have been
converted, by the imagination, into an exquisite
and faultless representation of the warlike deity
of his tribe. The lineaments of the quivering
features of Magua proved more ductile; his countenance gradually lost its character of defiance in
an expression of ferocious joy, and heaving a
breath from the very bottom of his chest, he pronounced aloud the formidable name of"Le Cerf Agile!"
Each warrior sprang upon his feet at the utter
ance of the well-known appellation, and there was
ashort period, during which the stoical constan
cyof the natives was completely conquered by
surprise. The hated and yet respected name was
repeated, as by one voice, carrying the sound even




THE MOHICANS.              369
beyond the limits of the lodge. The women and
children, who lingered around the ertrance, took
up the words in an echo, which was succeeded by
another shrill and plaintive howl. The latter was
not yet ended, when the sensation among the men
had entirely abated. Each one in presence seat
ed himself, as though ashamed of his precipita
tion, but it was many minutes before their meaning eyes ceased to roll towards their captive, in
curious examination of a warrior, who had so
often proved his prowess on the best and proudest
of their nation.
Uncas enjoyed his victory, but was content with
merely exhibiting his triumph, by a quiet and
proud curl of the lip; an emblem of scorn that
belongs to all time and every nation. Magua
caught the expression, and raising his arm, he
shook itat the captive-the light silver ornaments
attached to his bracelet rattling with the trembling
agitation of the limb, as, in a tone of vengeance,
he exclaimed, in English"Mohican, you die!"
" The healing waters will never bring the dead
Hurons to life!" returned Uncas, in the music of
the Delawares; "the tumbling river washes their
bones! their men are squaws; their women owls
Go-eall together the Huron dogs, that they may
look upon a warrior.  My nostrils are offended;
they scent the blood of a coward!"
The latter allusion struck deep, and the injury
rankled. Many of the Hurons understood the
strange tongue in which the captive spoke, among
which number was Magua. This cunning savage
beheld, and instantly profited by, his advantage.
Dropping the light robe of skin from his shoulder,
he stretched forth his arm, and commenced a burst
of his dangerous and artful eloquence.  However




370             THE LAST OP
much his influence among his people had been
impaired by his occasional and besetting weak
ness, as well as by his desertion of the tribe, his
courage, and his fame as an orator, were undeniable.  He never spoke without auditors, and rare
ly without making converts to his opinions. On
the present occasion, his native powers were
stimulated by the keenest thirst for revenge.
He again recounted the events of the attack on
the island at Glenn's; the death of his associates:
and the escape of their most formidable enemies.
Then he described the nature and position of the
mount whither he had led such captives as had
fallen into their hands. Of his own bloody intentions towards the maidens, and of his baffled
malice, he, made no mention, but passed rapidly
on to the surprise by the party of "la Longue
Carabine," and its fatal termination.  Here he
paused, and looked about him, in affected veneration for the departed-but, in truth, to note the
effect of his opening narrative. As usual, every
eye was riveted on his face.  Each dusky figure
seemed a breathing statue, so motionless was the
posture, so intense the attention of the individual.
Then Magua dropped his voice, which had
hitherto been clear, strong, and elevated, and
touched upon the merts of the dead.  No quality
that was likely to command the sympathy of an
Indian, escaped his notice  One had rever been
known to follow the chase in vain; another had
been indefatigable on the triil of their enemies.
This was brave; that, generous.  In short, he so
managed his allusions, that in a nation which was
composed of so few families, he contrived to strike
every chord that might find, in its turn, some
breast in which to vibrate.
"Are the bones of my young men," he con



THE MOHICANS.              371
eluded, " in the burial place of the Hurons! You
know they are not. Their spirits are gone towards
the setting sun, and are already crossing the great
waters, to the happy hunting grounds  But they
departed without food, without guns or knives,
without moccasins, naked and poor, as they were
born. Shall this be? Are their souls to enter the
land of the just, like hungry Iroquois, or unmanly
Delawares; or shall they meet their friends with
arms in their hands, and robes on their backs?
What will our fathers think the tribes of the
Wyandots have become? They will look on their
children with a dark eye, and say, go; a Chippewa has come hither with the name of a Huron.
Brothers, we must not forget the dead; a red skin
never ceases to remember.  We will load the
back of this Mohican, until he staggers under our
bounty, and despatch him after my young men.
They call to us for aid, though our ears are not
open; they say, forget us not. When they see
the spirit of this Mohican toiling after them, with
his burthen, they will know we are of that mind.
Then will they go on happy; and our children
will say,'so did our fathers to their friedns, so
must we do to them.'. What is a Yengee! we
have slain many, but the earth is still pale. A
stain on the name of a Huron can, only, be hid
by blood that comes from the veins of an Indian.
Let, then, this Delaware die."
The effect of such an harangue, delivered in
the nervous language, aad with the emphatic manner of a Huron orator, could scarcely be mistaken.
Magua had so artfully blended the natural sympathics with the religious superstition of his auditors, that their minds, already prepared by custom
to sacrifice a victim to the manes of their countrymen, lost every vestige of humanity in a wish for




372              THE LAST OF
instant revenge. One warrior in prlticular, a man
of wild and ferocioi s mien, had been conspicuous
for the attention he had given to the words of the
speaker. His countenance had changed with each
passing emotion, until it settled into a continued
and deadly look of malice. As Magua ended, he
arose, and uttering the yell of a demon, his polished little axe was seen glancing in the torch light,
as he whirled it above his head. The motion and
the cry were too sudden for words to interrupt
his bloody intention. It appeared as if a bright
gleam shot from his hand, which was crossed at
the same moment by a dark and powerful line.
The former was the tomahawk in its passage; the
latter the arm that Magua darted forward to divert
its aim. The quick and ready motion of the chief
was not entirely too late. The keen weapon cut
the short war-plume fiom the scalping tuft of
Uncas, and passed through the frail wall of the
lodge, as though it were hurled from some formidable engine.
Duncan had seen the threatening action, and
sprang upon his feet, with a heart which, while
it leaped into his throat, swelled with the most
generous resolution in behalf of his friend. A
glance told him that the blow had failed, and
terror changed to admiration. Uncas stood, still
looking his enemy in the eye, with features that
seemed superior to every emotion. Marble could
not be colder, calmer, or steadier, than the countenance he put upon this sudden and vindictive
attack. Then, as if pitying a want of skill, which
had proved so fortunate to himself, he smiled, and
muttered a few words of contempt, in his own
soft and musical tongue.
"No!" said Magua, after satisfying himself of
the safety of the captive; "the sun must shine




THE MOHICANS.              373
upon his shame; the squaws must see his flesh
tremble, or our revenge will be like the play of
boys.  Go-take him where there is silence; let
us see if a Delaware can sleep at night; and, in the
morning, die!"
The young men whose duty it was to guard
the prisoner, instantly passed their ligaments ot
bark across his arms, and led him from the lodge,
amid a gloomy, profound, and ominous silence.
It was only as the figure of Uncas stood in the
opening of the door, that his firm step hesitated.
There he turned, and in the sweeping and haughty
glance that he threw around the circle of his
enemies, Duncan caught a look, which he was
glad to construe into an expression that he was
not entirely deserted by hope.
Magua was content with his success, or too much
occupied with his secret purposes, to push his inquiries any further.  Shaking his mantle, and
folding it on his bosom, he also quitted the place,
without pursuing a subject that might have proved
so fatal to the individual at his elbow. Notwithstanding his rising resentment, his natural firmness, and his anxiety in behalf of Uncas, Heyward
felt sensibly relieved by the absence of so dangerous and so subtle a foe. The excitement produced by the speech gradually subsided. The
warriors resumed their seats, and clouds of smoke
once more filled the lodge. For near half an hour,
not a syllable was uttered, or scarcely a look east
aside-a grave and meditative silence being In the
ordinary succession to every scene of violence
and commotion, amongst those beings, who were
alike so impetuous, and yet so self-restrained.
When the chief who had solicited the aid of
Duncan had finished his pipe, he made a final and
successful movement towards departing.  A mo21




'374            THE LAST OF
lion of a finger was the intimation he gave the
supposed physician to follow; and passing through
the clouds of smoke, Duncan was glad, on more
accounts than one, to be able, at last, to breathe the
pure air of a cool and refreshing summer evening.
Instead of pursuing his way among those lodges,
where Heyward had already made his unsuccessful search, his companion turned aside, and proceeded directly toward the base of an adjacent
mountain, which overhung the temporary village.
A thicket of brush skirted its foot, and it became
necessary to proceed through a crooked and rarrow path.  The boys had resumed their sports in
the clearing, and were enacting a mimic chase to
the post, ainong themselves.  In order to render
their games as like the reality as possible, one of
the boldest of their number had conveyed a few
brands into some piles of tree-tops, that had
hitherto escaped the burning.  The blaze of one
of these fires lighted the way of the chief and
Duncan, and gave a character of additional wildness to the rude scenery.  At a little distance
from a bald rock, and directly in its front, they
entered a grassy opening, which they prepared to
cross. Just then, fresh fuel was added to the fire,
and a powerful light penetrated even to that distant spot. It fell upon the white surface of the
mountain, and was-reflected downward upon a
dark and mysterious looking being, that arose,
unexpectedly, in their path.
The Indian'paused, as if doubtful whether to
proceed, and permitted his companion to approach
his side. A large black ball, which at first seemed stationary, now began to move in a manner,
that to the latter was inexplicable. Again the fire
brightened, and its glare fell more distinctly on the
object. Then even Duncan knew it, by its rest




THE MOHICANS.              375
less and sideling attitudes, which kept the upper
part of its form in constant motion, while the animal itself appeared seated, to be a bear. Though
it growled loudly and fiercely, and there were instants when itsglistening eye-balls might be seen,
it gave no other indication of hostility.  The
Huron, at least, seemed assured that the intentions of this singular intruder were peaceable, for
after giving it an attentive examination, he quietly
pursued his course.
Duncan, who knew that the animal was often
found domesticated among the Indians, followed
the example of his companion, believing that some
favourite of the tribe had found its way into the
thicket, in search of food. They passed it unmolested. Though obliged to come nearly in contact
with the monster, tile Huron, who had at first so
warily determined the character of his strange
visiter, was now content with proceeding without
wasting a moment in further examination; but
Heyward, was unable to prevent his eyes from
looking backward, in a sort of salutary watchfulness against attacks in the rear. His uneasiness
was in no degree diminished, when he perceived
the beast rolling along their path, and following
their footsteps. He would have spoken, but the
Indian at that moment shoved aside a door of bark,
and entered a cavern in the bosom of the mountain.
Profiting by so easy a method of retreat, Duncan stepped after him, and was gladly closing the
slight cover to the opening, when he felt it drawn
from his hand by the beast, whose shaggy form
immediately darkened the passage.  They were
now in a straight and long gallery, in a chasm of
the rocks, where retreat, without encountering the
animal, was impossible.  Making the best of the
circumstances, the young man pressed forward,
keeping as close as -ossible to his conductor. The




376             THIE LAST OF
bear growled frequently at his heels, and once or
twice its enormous paws were laid on his person,
as though disposed to prevent his further passage
into the den.
How long the nerves of Heyward would have
sustained him in this extraordinary situation, it
might be difficult to decide, for, happily, he soon
found relief. A glimmer of light had constantly
been in their front, and they now arrived at the
place whence it proceeded.
A  large cavity in the rock had been rudely
fitted to answer the purposes of many apartments.
The subdivisions were simple, but ingenious;
being composed of stone, sticks, and bark, intermingled.  Openings above admitted the light by
day, and at night fires and torches supplied the
place of the sun. Hither the Hurons had brought
most of their valuables, especially those which
more particularly pertained to the nation; and
hither, as it now appeared, the sick woman, who
was believed to be the victim  of supernatural
power, had been transported also, under an impression, that her tormentor would find more difficulty in making his assaults through walls of stone,
than through the leafy coverings of the lodges.
The apartment into which Duncan and his guide
first entered, had been exclusively devoted to her
accommodation.  The latter approached her bedside, which was surrounded by females, in the
centre of whom, Heyward was surprised to find
his missing friend David.
A single look was sufficient to apprise the pretended leech, that the invalid was far beyond his
powers of healing. She lay in a sort of paralysis,
indifferent to the objects which crowded before
her sight, and happily unconscious of suffering.
Heyward was far from regretting that his mummeries Hvere to be performed on one who was




THE MOHICANS.              377
much too ill to take an interest in their failure oi
success. The slight qualm of conscience which
had been excited by the intended deception, was
instantly appeased at the sight, and he began,
busily, to collectjlis thoughts, in order to enact his
part with suitable spirit, when he found lie was
about to be anticipated in his skill, by an attempt
to prove the power of music.
Gamut, who had stood prepared to pour forth
his spirit inssong when the visiters entered, after
delaying a moment, drew a strain from his pipe,
and commenced a hymn, that might have worked
a miracle, had faith in its efficacy been of much
avail. He was allowed to proceed to the close,
the Indians respecting his imaginary infirmity,
and Duncan too glad of the delay to hazard the
slightest interruption. As the dying cadence of
his strains was falling on the ears of the latter, he
started aside at hearing them repeated behind him,
in a voice half human and half sepulchral. Looking around, he beheld the shaggy monster seated
on end, in a shadow of the cavern, where, while
his restless body swung in the uneasy manner of
the animal, it repeated, in a sort of low growl,
sounds, if not words, which bore some slight resemblance to the melody of the singer.
The efiect of so strange an echo, on David, may,better be imagined than described.  His eyes
opened, as if he doubted their truth; and his voice
became instantly mute, in excess of wonder. A
deep laid scheme of communicating some important intelligence to Heyward, was driven from his
recollection by an emotion which very nearly
resembled fear, but which he was fain to believe
was admiration. Under its influence, he exclaim
ed aloud-" She expects you, and is at hand" —
and precipitately left the cavern.
212




CHAPTER XXV.
Snug. "4 Have you the lion's part writte*? Pray you, if it be
give it me, for I am slow of study.
Quince. You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring.
JMidsummer's JNight )ream.
THERE was a strange blending of the ridiculous,
with that which was solemn, in this scene.  The
beast still continued its rolling, and apparently untiring, movements, though its ludicrous attempt
to imitate the melody of David ceased the instant
the latter abandoned the field. The words of Gamut were, as has been seen, in his native tongue;
and to Duncan they seemed pregnant with some
hidden meaning, though nothing present assisted
him in discovering the object of their allusion.
A speedy end was, however, put to every conjecture on the subject, by the manner of the chief,
who advanced to the bedside of the invalid, and
beckoned away the whole groupe of female attendants, that had clustered there, in lively curiosity, to witness the skill of the stranger. He was
implicitly, though reluctantly, obeyed; and when
the low echo which rang along the hollow, natural gallery, from the distant closing door, had
ceased, pointing towards his insensible daughter,
he said" Now let my brother show his power."
Thus unequivocally called on to exercise the
functions of his assumed character, Heyward was
apprehensive that the smallest delay might prove
dangerous. Endeavouring then to collect his ideas,
he prepared to collect that species of incantation,
and those uncouth rites, under which the Indian
conjurers are accustomed to conceal their actual




THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.    379
Ignorance and impotency. It is more than probable, that in the disordered state of his thoughts,
he would soon have fallen into some suspicious,
if not fatal error, had not his incipient attempts
been interrupted by a fierce growl from  the
quadruped. Three several times did he renew his
efforts to proceed, and as often was he met by the
same unaccountable opposition, each interruption
seeming more savage and threatening than the
preceding.
" The cunning ones are jealous," said the Huron; "I go. Brother, the woman is the wife of
one of my bravest young men; deal justly by her.
Peace," he added, beckoning to the discontented
beast to be quiet; "I go."
The chief was instantly as good as his word,
and Duncan now found himself alone in that wild
and desolate abode, with the helpless invalid, and
the fierce and dangerous brute. The latter listen.
ed to the movements of the Ihdian, with that air
of sagacity that a bear is known to possess, until
another echo announced that he had also left the
cavern, when it turned and came waddling up to
Duncan, before whom it seated itself, in its natural attitude, erect like a man. The youth looked
anxiously about him for some weapon, with which
he might make a resistance, worthy of his reputation, against the attack he now seriously expected.
It seemed, however, as if the humour of the
animal had suddenly changed. Instead of continuing its discontented growls, or manifesting
any further signs of anger, the whole of its shaggy body shook violently, as though it were agitated by some strange, internal, convulsion. The
huge and unwieldy talons pawed stupidly about
the grinning muzzle, and while Heyward kept
his eyes riveted on its movements, with jealous




380             THE LAST OF
watchfulness, the grim head fell on one side, and
in its place appeared the honest, sturdy countenance of the scout, who was indulging, from the
bottom of his soul, in his own peculiar expression
of merriment.
" Hist!" said the wary woodsman, interrupting
Heyward's exclamation of surprise; "the varlets
are about the place, and any sounds that are not
natural to witchcraft, would bring them back upon us in a body!"
" Tell me the meaning of this masquerade; and
why you have attempted so desperate an adventure!"
"' Ah! reason and calculation are often outdone
by accident," returned the scout. " But as a story should always commence at the beginning, I
will tell you the whole in order. After we parted, I placed the Commandant and the Sagamore
in an old beaver lodge, where they are safer from
the Hurons, than they would be in the garrison
of Edward; for your high north-west Indians,
not having as yet got the traders much among
them, continue to venerate the beaver. After
which, Uncas and I pushed for the other encampmept, as was agreed; have you seen the lad?"
"To my great grief!-he is captive, and condemned to die at the rising of the sun."
I had misgivings that such would be his fate,"
resumed the scout, in a less confident and joyous
tone. But soon regaining his naturally firm voice,
he continued-" His bad fortune is the true rea,son of my being here, for it would never do to
abandon such a boy to the Hurons! A rare time
the knaves would have of it, could they tie the
bounding elk' and the  longue carabine,' as they
call me, to the same stake!  Though why they
have given me such a name, I never knew, there




THE MOHICANS.              381
being as little likeness between the gifts of' killdeer' and the performance of one of your real
Canada carabynes, as there is between the natur
of a pipe-stone and a flint!"
" Keep to your tale," said the impatient Heyward; "we know not at what moment the Hurons may return."
"No fear of them.  A conjuror must have his
time, like a straggling priest in the settlements.
We are as safe from  interruption, as a missionary would be. at the beginning of a two hours discourse. Well. Uncas and I fell in with a return
party of the varlets; the lad was much too forward for a scout; nay, for that matter, being of
hot blood, he was not so much to blame; and,
after all, one of the Hurons proved a coward, and
in fleeing, led him into an ainbushment!"
"And dearly has he paid for the weakness!"
exclaimed Duncan.
The scout significantly passed his hand across
his own throat, and nodded, as if he said,' I comprehend your meaning."  After which, he continued, in a more audible, though scarcely more
intelligible language"After the loss of the boy, I turned upon the
Hurons, as you may judge.  There have been
skrimmages atween one or two of their outlyers
and myself; but that is neither here nor there.
So, after I had shot the imps, I got in pretty nigh
to the lodges, without further commotion. Then,
what should luck do in my favour, but lead me to
the very spot where one of the most famous con.
jurors of the tribe was dressing himself, as I well
knew, for some great battle with Satan-though
why should I call that luck, which it now seems
was an especial ordering of Providence! So, a
judgematical rap, over the head, stiffened the ly



382             THE LAST OF
ing impostor for a time, and leaving him a bit of
walnut for his supper, to prevent any uproar, and
stringing him up atween two saplings, I made
free with his finery, and took the part of a beat
on myself, in order that the operations might proceed."
"And admirably did you enact the character I
he animal itself might have been shamed by the
representation."
"Lord, major," returned the flattered woodsman, "I should be but a poor scholar, for one
who has studied so long in the wilderness, did I
not know how to set forth tne movements and
natur of such a beast! Had it been now a catamount, or even a full sized painter, I would have
embellished a performance, for you, worth regarding! But it is no such marvellous feat to exhibit
the feats of so dull a beast; though, for that matter
too, a bear may be over acted! Yes, yes; it is
not every imitator that knows natur may be outdone easier than she is equalled. But all our work
is yet before us! where is the gentle one?"
" Heaven knows; I have examined every lodge
in the village, without discovering the slightest
trace of her presence in the tribe."
"You heard what the singer said, as he left us
-' she is at hand, and expects you."'
"I have been compelled to believe he alluded
to this unhappy woman."
"The simpleton was frightened, and blundered
through his message, but he had a deeper meaning. Here are walls enough to divide whole settlements. A beal ought to climb; therefore will
I take a look above them. There may be honeypots hid in these rocks, and I am a beast, you
know, that has a hankering for the sweets."
The scout looked behind him, laughing at his




THE MOHICANS.              383
own conceit, while he clambered up the partition,
imitating, as he went, the clumsy, motions of the
beast he represented; but the instant the summit
was gained, he made a gesture for silence, and slid
down with the utmost precipitation.
"She is here," he whispered, "and by that
door you will find her. I would have spoken a
word of comfort to the afflicted soul, but the sight
of such a monster might well upset her reason.
Though, for that matter, major, you are none of
the most inviting yourself, in your paint."
Duncan, who had already sprung eagerly forward, drew instantly back,' on hearing these discouraging words.' Am I then so very revolting?" he demanded,
with an air of manifest chagrin.
"You might not startle a wolf, or turn the
Royal Americans from a charge; but I have seen
the time when you had a better' favoured look,
major," returned the scout, dryly; "your streaked countenances are not ill judged of by the
squaws, but young women of white blood give
the preference to their own colour. See," he
added, pointing to a place where the water trickled from a rock, forming a little crystal spring,
before it found an issue through the adjacent crevices; " you may easily get rid of the Sagamore's
daub, and when you come back, I will try my
hand at a new embellishment. It's as common
for a conjuror to alter his paint, as for a buck in
the settlements to change his finery."
The deliberate woodsman had little occasion to
hunt for arguments to enforce his advice. He was
yet speaking, when Duncan availed himself of
the water. In a moment, every frightful or offensive mark was obliterated, and the youth appeared
again *n the fine and polished lineaments with




384             THE LAST OF
which he had been gifted by nature. Thus prepared for an interview with his mistress, lie took
a hasty leave of his companion, and disappeared
through the indicated passage.  The scout witnessed his departure with complacency, nodding
his head after him, and muttering his good wishes;
after which, he very coolly set about an examination of the state of the larder among the Hurons
-the cavern, among other purposes, being used
as a receptacle for the fruits of their hunts.
Duncan had no other guide than a distant glimmering light, which served, however, the office of
a polar star to the lover. By its aid, he was
enabled to enter the haven of his hopes, which
was merely another apartment of the cavern, that
had been solely appropriated to the safe keeping
of so important a prisoner, as a daughter of the
commandant of William Henry. It was profusely
strewed with the plunder of that unlucky fortress.
In the midst of this confusion he found the maiden,
pale, anxious, and terrified, but still lovely. David,had prepared her for such a visit.
" Duncan!" she exclaimed, in a voice that seemed to tremble at the sounds created by itself.
"Alice!" he answered, leaping carelessly among
trunks, boxes, arms, and furniture, until he stood
at her side.
" I knew, Duncan, that you would never desert
me," she said, looking up with a momentary glow
of pleasure beaming on her otherwise dejected
countenance.  "But you are alone! grateful as it
is to be thus remembered, I could wish to think
you are not entirely alone!"
Duncan, observing that she trembled in a man
ner which betrayed an inability to continue standing, gently induced her to be seated, while he
recounted those leading incidents which it has




THE MOHICANS.              385
been our task to record.  Alice listened with
breathless interest; and though the young man
touched lightly on the sorrows of the stricken
father, taking care, however, not to wound the
self-love of his auditor, the tears ran as freely
down the cheeks of the daughter, as though she
had never wept before. The soothing tenderness
of Duncan, however, soon quieted the first burst
of her emotions, and she then heard him to the
close with undivided attention, if not with composure.
"And now, Alice," he added, "you will see
how much is still expected of you.  By the assistance of our experienced and invaluable friend,
the scout, we may find our way from this savage
people, but you will have to exert your utmost
fortitude. Remember, that you fly to the arms of
your venerable parent, and how much his happiness, as well as your own, depends on those
exertions."
" Can I.do otherwise for a father who has done
so much for me!"
"' And for me too!" continued the youth, gently
pressing the hand he held in both his own.
The look of innocence and surprise which he
received, in return, convinced Duncan of the ne
cessity of being more explicit.
This is neither the place nor the occasion to
detain you with selfish wishes, sweet Alice," he
added; "but what heart loaded like mine would
not wish to cast its burthen! They say misery is
the closest of all ties; our common suffering in
your behalf, left but little to be explained between
your father and myself."
"And dearest Cora, Duncan; surely Cora was
not forgotten!"
"Not forgotten! no; regretted as woman was
2K




386             THE LAST OF
seldom mourned, before. Your venerable fathei
knew no difference between his children; but IAlice, you will not be offended, when I say, that
to me her worth was in a degree obscured-""Then you knew not the m t   merit of my sister,"
said Alice, withdrawing her hand; "of you she
ever speaks, as of one who is her dearest friend!'
"I would gladly believe her such," returned
Duncan, hastily; "I could wish her to be even
more; but with you, Alice, I have the permission
of your father to aspire to a still nearer and
dearer tie."
The maiden trembled violently, and there was
an instant, during which she bent her face aside,
yielding to the emotions common to her sensitive
sex; but they quickly passed away, leaving her
completely mistress of her deportment, if not of
her affections.
"Heyward," she said, looking him full in the
eye, with a touching expression of innocence and
dependency, "give me the sacred presence and
the holy sanction of that parent, before you urge
me farther."
" Though more I should not, less I could not
say," the youth was about to answer, when he
wasiinterrupted by a light tap on his shoulder.
Starting to his feet, he turned, and confronting
the intruder, his looks fell on the dark form and
malignant visage of Magua. The deep, guttural
laugh of the savage, sounded, at such a moment,
to Duncan, like the hellish taunt of a demon. Had
he pursued the sudden and fierce impulse of the
instant, he would have cast himself on the Huron,
and committed their fortunes to the issue of a
deadly struggle. But, without arms of any description, ignorant of what succours his subtle ene
my could command, and charged with the safety




THE MOHICANS.              387
of one who was just then dearer than ever to his
heart, he no sooner entertained, than he abandoned the desperate intention.
"What is your purpose?' said Alice, meekly
folding her arms on her bosom, and struggling to
conceal an agony of apprehension in behalf of Heyward, in the usual cold and distant manner with
which she received the visits of her captor.
The exulting Indian had resumed his austere
countenance, though he drew warily back before
the menacing glance of the young man's fiery
eye. Ile regarded both his captives for a moment
with a steady look, and then stepping aside, he
dropped a log of wood across a door different from
that by which Duncan had entered. The latter
now comprehended the manner of his surprise,
and believing himself irretrievably lost, he drew
Alice to his bosom, and stood prepared to meet a
fate which he hardly regretted, since it was to be
suffered in such company. But Magua meditated
no immediate violence. His first measures were
very evidently taken to secure his new captive;
nor did he even bestow a second glance at the
motionless forms in the centre of the cavern, until
he had completely cut off every hope of retreat
through the private outlet he had himself used.
I-e was watched in all his movements by Heyward, who however remained firm, still folding
the fragile form of Alice to his heart, at once too
proud and too hopeless to ask favour of an enemy
so often foiled. When Magua had effected his
object, he approached his prisoners, and said, in
English"The pale-faces trap the cunning beavers; but
the red-skins know how to take the Yengeese.!
" Huron, do your worst!" exclaimed the excited
Heyward, forgetful that a -double stake was in




888             THE LAST OF
volved in his life; " you and y our vengeance, are
alike despised."
"Will the white man speak these words at the
stake?" asked Magua; manifesting, at the same
time, how little faith he had in the other's resolution, by the sneer that accompanied his words.
" Here; singly to your face," continued the undaunted Heyward, "or in the presence of your
assembled nation I"
"Le Renard Subtil is a great chief!" returned
the Indian; " he will go and bring his young men,
to see how bravely a pale-face can laugh at the
tortures."
He turned away while speaking, and was about
to leave the place through the avenue by which
Duncan had approached, when a low, menacing
growl, caught his ear, and caused him to hesitate.
The figure of the bear appeared in the door, where
it sate rolling from side to side, in its customary
restlessness. Magua, like the father of the sick
woman, eyed it keenly for a moment, as if to ascertain its character. He was far above the more
vulgar superstitions of his tribe, and so soon as he
recognised the well known attire of the conjuror,
he prepared to pass it in cool contempt. But a
louder and more'threatening growl caused him
again to pause. Then he seemed as if suddenly
resolved to trifle no longer, and moved resolutely
forward. The mimic animal, which had advanced
a little, retired slowly in his front, until it arrived
again at the pass, when rearing on its hinder legs,
it beat the air with its paws, in the manner practised by its more brutal prototype.
"Fool!" exclaimed the chief, in Huron, "go
play with the children and squaws; leave men to
their wisdom."
He once more endeavoured to pass the sup




THE MOHICANS.              389
posed empyric scorning even the parade'oftlhreat
enirig to use the keen knife, or glittering tomahawk,
that was pendant from  his belt.  Suddenly, (he
beast extended its arms, or rather legs, and enclosed him  in a grasp, that might have vied with
the far-famed power of the " bear's hug" itself.
HIeyward had watched the whole procedure, on
the part of Hawk-eye, with breathless interest
At first he relinquished his hold of Alice; then
he caught up a thong of buckskin, which had been
used around some bundle, and when he beheld his
enemy with his two arms pinned to his side, by
the iron muscles of the scout, he rushed upon
him, and effectually secured them there. Arms,
legs, and feet, were encirled in twenty folds of
the thong, in less time than we have taken to
record thle circumstance.  When the formidable
Huron was completely pinioned, the scout released
his hold, and Duncan laid his enemy on his back,
utterly helpless.
Throughout the whole of this sudden and extraordinary operation, Magua, though he had struggled violently, until assured he was in the hands
of one whose nerves were far better strung than
his own, had not uttered the slightest exclamation.  But when Hawk-eye, by way of making a
summary explanation of his conduct, removed the
shaggy jaws of the beast, and exposed his own
rugged and earnest countenance to the gaze of the
Huron, the philosophy of the latter was so fat
mastered, as to permit him  to utter the never
failing —
" Hugh!"
"Ay! you've found your tongue!" said his
undisturbed conqueror; "now, in order that you
shall not use it to our ruin, I must make free to
stop your morth."
2




390             THE LAST OF
As there was no time to be lost, the scout im.
mediately set about effecting so necessary a precaution; -and when he had gagged the Indian, his
enemy might safely have been considered as " hors
de combat."
" By what place did the imp enter?" asked the
industrious scout, when his work was ended.
"Not a soul has passed my way since you left
me."
Duncan pointed out the door by which Magua
had come, and which now presented too many obstacles to a quick retreat.
" Bring on the gentle one then," continued his
friend; " we must make a push for the woods by
the other outlet."
"'Tis impossible!" said Duncan; "fear has
overcome her, and she is helpless. Alice! my
sweet, my own Alice, arouse yourself; now is
the moment to fly.'Tis in vain! she hears, but
is unable to follow. Go, noble and worthy friend;
save yourself, and leave me to my fate!"
" Every trail has its end, and every calamity
brings its lesson!" returned the scout.  " There,
wrap her in them Indian cloths.  Conceal all of
her little form. Nay, that foot has no fellow in
the wilderness; it will betray her. All, every
part.' Now take her in your arms, and follow.
Leave the rest to me."
Duncan, as may be gathered from the words of
his companion, was eagerly obeying; and as the
other finished speaking, he took the light person
of Alice in his arms, and followed on the footsteps
of the scout. They found the sick -woman as they
had left her, still alone, and passed swiftly on, by
the natural gallery, to the place of entrance. As
they;approached the little door of bark, a murmur
# voices without announced that the friends and




THE MOHICANS.              391
relatives of the invalid were gathered about the
place, patiently awaiting a summons to re-enter.
" If I open my lips to speak," Hawk-eye whispered, " my English, which is the genuine tongue
of a white-skin, will tell the varlets that an enemy
is among them. You must give'em your jargon
major; and say, that we have shut the evil spirit
in the cave, and are taking the woman to the
woods, in order to find strengthening roots. Practyse all your cunning, for it is a lawfuil undertakin,."
The door opened a little, as if one without was
listening to the proceedings within, and compelled
the scout to cease his directions. A fierce growl
instantly repelled the eves-dropper, and then the
scout boldly threw open the covering of bark, and
left the place, enacting the character of the bear as
he proceeded.  Duncan kept close at his heels,
and soon found himself in the centre of a cluster
of twenty anxious relatives and friends.
The crowd fell back a little, and permitted the
father, and one who appeared to be the husband
of the woman, to approach.
" Has my brother driven away the evil spirit?"
demanded the former. "What has he in his arms?"
"Thy child," returned Duncan, gravely; "the
disease has gone out of her  it is shut up in the
rocks.  I take the woman to a distance, where 1
will strengthen her against any further attacks.
She shall be in the wigwam  of the young man
when the sun comes again."
When the father had translated the meaning of
the stranger's'words into the Huron language, a
suppressed murmur announced the satisfaction
with which this intelligence was received. The
chief himself waved his hand for Duncan to pro




392              THE LAST OF
"eed, saying aloud, in a firm voice, and with a loft.y
ii,.,er~"Go-I am  a man, and I will enter the rock
and fight the wvicked one!"
Ileyward had gladly obeyed, and was already
past the little groupe, when these startling words
arrested him.
"Is my brother mad!" he exclaimed; "is he
cruel! - He will meet the disease, and it will enter him; or he will drive out the disease, and it
will chase his daughter into the woods. No-let
my children wait without, and if the spirit appears, beat him down with clubs. He is cunning,
and will bury himself in the mountain, therefore,
when he sees how many are prepared to fight
him."
This singular warning had the desired effect.
Instead of entering the cavern, the father and husband drew their tomahawks, and posted themselves in readiness to deal their vengeance on the
imaginary tormentor of their sick relative, while
the women and children broke branches from the
bushes, or seized fragments of the rock, with a
similar intention. At this favourable moment the
counterfeit conjurors disappeared.
Hawk-eye, at the same time that he had presumed so far on the nature of the Indian superstitions, was not ignorant that they were rather
tolerated than relied on by the wisest of the
chiefs.  He well knew the value of time in the
present emergency.  Whatever might be the extent of the self-delusion of his enemies, and however it had tended to assist his schemes, the slightest cause of suspicion, acting on the subtle nature
of an Indian, would be likely to prove fatal.
Taking the path, therefore, that was most likely




THE MOHICANS.              393
to avoid observation, he rather skirted than entered the village. The warriors were still to be
seen in the distance, by the fading light of the
fires, stalking from lodge to lodge. But the children had abandoned their sports for their beds of
skins, and the quiet of night was already beginning to prevail over the turbulence and excitement of so busy and important an evening.
Alice revived under the renovating influence
of the open air, and as her physical rather than
her mental powers had been the subject of her
weakness, she stood in no need of any explanation of that which had occurred.
"Now  let me make an effort to walk," she
said, when they had entered the forest, blushing,
though unseen, that she had not been sooner able
to quit the arms of Duncan; "I am, indeed, restored."
" Nay, Alice, you are yet too weak."
The maiden struggled gently to release herself,
and the reluctant Heyward was compelled to part
with his precious burthen. The representative of
the bear had certainly been an entire stranger to
the delicious emotions of the lover, while his
arms encircled his mistress, and he was, perhaps,
a stranger also to the nature of that feeling of ingenuous shame, that oppressed the trembling Alice,
as they had made such diligent progress in their
flight. But when he found himself at a suitable
distance from the lodges, he made a halt, and
spoke on a subject of which he was thoroughly
the master"Tnis path will lead you to the brook,' he.said; "follow its northern bank until you come to
a fall; mount the hill on your right, and you will
see the fires of the other people. There you must
go, and demand protection; if they are true Dela



394              THE LAST OF
wares, you will be safe.'A distant flight with
that gentle one, just now, is impossibfe. The Hu.
rons would follow up our trail, and master our
scalps, before we had got a dozen miles. Go, and
Providence be with you,"
"And you!" demanded Heyward, i n surprise;
" surely we part not here!"
" Tile Hurons hold the pride of the Delawares;
the last of the high blood of the M1ohicans, is in
their power!" returned the scout; "I go to see
what can be done in his favour. Had they mastered your scalp, major, a knave should have fallen for every hair it held, as I promised; but if
the young Sagamore is to be led to the stake, the
Indians shall see also how a man without a cross
can (ie!"
Not in the least offended with the decided preference that the sturdy woodsman gave to one
who might, in some degree, be called the child of
his adoption, Duncan still continued to urge such
reasons against so desperate an effort, as presented themselves. He was aided by Alice, who mingled her entreaties with those of Heyward, that
he would abandon a resolution that promised so
much danger, with such little hopes of success.
Their eloquence and ingenuity were expended in
vain. The scout heard them attentively, but impatiently, and finally closed the discussion, by
answering, in a tone that instantly silenced Alice,
while it told Heyward how fruitless any further
remonstrances would be.
"I have heard," he said, "that there is a feeling in youth, which binds man to woman, closer
than the father is tied to the son. It may be so.
I have seldom been where women of my colour
dwell; but such may be the gifts of natur in the
settlements! You have risked life, and all that is




THE MOHICANS.                395
dear to you, to bring off this gentle one, and I
suppose that some such disposition is at the bottom of it all. As for me, I taught the lad the real
character of a rifle; and well has he paid me for
it!  I have fou't at his side in many a bloody
skrimmage; and so long as I could hear the crack
of his piece in one ear, and that of the Sagamore
in the other, I knew no enemy was on my back.
Winters and summers, nights and days, have we
roved the wilderness in company, eating of the
same dish, one sleeping while the other watched;
and afore it shall be said that Uacas was taken to
the torment, and I at hand    There is but a single Ruler of us all, whatever may be the colour
of the skin; and him I call to witness-that before the Mohican boy shall perish for the want
of a friend, good faith shall depart the'arth,
and' kill-deer' become as harmless as the tooting
we'pon of the singer!"
Duncan released his hold on the arm of the scout,
who turned, and steadily retraced his steps towards the lodges.  After pausing a moment to
gaze at his retiring form, the successful and yet
sorrowful Heyward, and his mistress, took their
way together towards the distant village of the
Delawares.




CHAPTER XXVI.
Bof.' Let me play the lion too." -Jlidsummer's JAight Dream.
NOTWITHSTANDING  the  high  resolution  of
Hawk-eye, he fully comprehended all the difficulties and dangers he was about to incur.  In his return to the camp, his acute and practised intellects
were intently engaged in devising means to counteract'a watchfulness and suspicion on the part of
his enemies, that he knew were, in no degree inferior to his own. Nothing but the colour of his
skin saved the lives of Magua and the conjuror,
who would have been the first victims to his security, had not the scout believed such an act, however congenial it might be to the nature of an Indian, utterly unworthy of one who boasted a descent from men that knew no cross of blood. Accordingly, he trusted to the withes and ligaments
with which he had bound his captives, and pursued his way directly towards the centre of the
lodges.
As he approached the buildings, his steps became more deliberate, and his vigilant eye sutlered no sign, whether friendly or hostile, to escape
him.  A. neglected hut was a little in advance of
the others, and appeared as though it had been
deserted when half completed-most probably on
account of failing in some of the more important
requisites; such as of wood or water. A faint
light glimmered through its cracks, however, and
announced, that notwithstanding its imperfect
structure, it was not now without a tenant. Thither, then, the scout proceeded, like a prudent
general, who was about to feel the advanced posl



THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.           397
tions of his enemy, before he hazarded his main
attack.
Throwing himself into a suitable postu.re for
the beast he represented, Hawk-eye crawled to a
little opening, where he might command a view
of the interior. It proved to be the abiding-place
of David Gamut. Hither the faithful singing-master had now brought himself, together with all his
sorrows, his apprehensions, and his meek dependence on the protection of Providence. At the precise moment when his ungainly person came under the observation of the scout, in the manner
just mentioned, the woodsman himself, though in
his assumed character, was the subject of the solitary being's profoundest reflections.
However implicit the faith of David was in the
performance of ancient miracles, he eschewed the
belief of any direct supernatural agency in the management of modern morality.  In other words,
while he had implicit faith in the ability of Baiaam's ass to speak, he was somewhat sceptical on
the subject of a bear's singing; and yet he had
been assured of the latter, on the testimony of his
own exquisite organs! There was something in
his air and manner, that betrayed to the scout the
utter confusion of the state of his mind. He was
seated on a pile of brush, a few twigs from which
occasionally fed his low fire, with his head leaning
on his arm, in a posture of melancholy musing.
The costume of the votary of music had undergone no other alteration from that so lately described, except that he had covered his bald head
with the triangular beaver, which had not proved
sufficiently alluring to excite the cupidity of any
of his captors.
The ingenious Hawk-eye, who recalled the
hasty manner in which the other had abandoned
2L




398             THE LAST OF
his post at the bed-side of the sick woman, was
not without his suspicions concerning the subject
of so much solemn deliberation.  First making
the circIit of the hut, and ascertaining that it stood
quite alone, and that the character of its inmate
was likely to protect it from visiters, he ventured
through its low door, into the very presence of
Gamut. The position of the latter brought the
fire between them; and when Hawk-eye had
seated himself on end, near a minute elapsed, during which the two remained regarding each other
without speaking.  The suddenness and the nature of the surprise, had nearly proved too much
for-we will not say the philosophy-but. for the
faith and resolution of David. Ile fumbled for
his pitch-pipe, and arose with a confused intention
of'attempting a musical exorcism.
"Dark and mysterious monster!" he exclaimed,
while with trembling hands he disposed of his
auxiliary eyes, and sought his never-failing resource in trouble, the gifted version of the Psalms;
" I know not your nature nor intents; but if aught
you meditate against the person and rights of one
of the humblest servants of the temple, listen to
the inspired language of the youth of Israel, and
repent."
The bear shook his shaggy sides in an inexplicable emotion, and then a well-known voice replied"Put up your tooting we'pon, and teach your
throat modesty. Five words of plain and comprehendiic English, are worth, just now, an hour of
squalling."
"What art thou?" demanded David, utterly
disqualified to pursue his original intention, and
nearly gasping for breath.
"A man like yourself and one whose blood is




THE MOHICANS.             399
as little tainted by the cross of a bear as your own.
Have you so soon forgotten from whom you received the foolish instrument you hold in your
hand?"
"Can these things be?" returned David, breathing more freely, Is the truth began to dawn upon
him. "I have found many marvels during my
sojourn with the heathen, but, surely, nothing to
excel this!"
"Come, come," returned Hawk-eye, uncasing
his honest countenance, the better to assure the
wavering confidence of his companion;   you may
see a skin, which, if it be not as white as one of
the gentle ones, has no tinge of-red to it, that the
winds of the heaven and the sun has not bestowed.
Now let us to business."
" First tell me of the maiden, and of the youth
who so bravely sought her," interrupted David.
" Ay, they are happily freed from the tomahawks
of these varlets! But can you put me on the scent
of Uncas?"
"The young man is in bondage, and much I
fear is his death decreed. I greatly mourn, that
one so well disposed should die in his ignorance,
and I have sought a goodly hymn-"
"Can you lead me to him?"
"The task will not be difficult," returned David,
hesitating; "though I greatly fear your presence
would rather increase than mitigate his unhappy
fortunes."
"No more words, but lead on," returned Hawkeye, concealing his face again, and setting the
example in his own person, by instantly quitting
the lodge.
As they proceeded, the scout ascertained that
his companion found access to Uncas, under privi.
lege of his imaginary infirmity, aided by ithe




400              THE LAST OF
favour he had acquired with one of the guard(s,
who, in consequence of speaking a little English,
had been selected by David as the subject of a
religious conversion.  How far the Huron comprehended the intentions of his new friend, may
well be doubted; but as exclusive attention is as
flattering to a savage as to a more civilized individual, it had, assuredly, produced the effect we
have mentioned. It is unnecessary to repeat the
shrewd manner with which the scout extracted
these particulars from the simple David, neither
shall we dwell, in this place, on the nature of the
instructions he delivered, when completely master
of all the necessary facts, as the whole will be
sufficiently explained to the reader in the due
course of the narrative.
The lodge in which Uncas was confined, was in
the very centre of the village, and in a situation,
perhaps, more difficult than any other to approach
or leave without observation. But it was not the
policy of Hawk-eye to affect the least concealment. Presuming on his disguise, and his ability
to sustain the character he had assumed, he took
the most plain and direct route to the place. The
hour, however, afforded him  some little of that
protection, which he appeared so much to despise.
The boys were already buried in sleep, and all the
women, and most of the warriors, had now retired
to their lodges for the night. Four or five of the
latter, only, lingered about the door of the prison
of Uncas, wary, but close observers of the manner
of their captive.
At the sight of Gamut, accompanied by one in
the well known masquerade of their most distinguished conjuror, they readily made a passage
to the entrance. Still, they betrayed no intention
to depart. On the other hand, they were evidently




THE MOHICANS.               401
disposed to remain bound to the place by an ad
ditional interest in the mysterious nftimmeries
that. they, of course, expected from such a visit;
From the total inability of the scout to address
the Hurons, in their own language, he was compelled to trust the conversation entirely to David.
Notwithstanding the simplicity of. the latter, he
did ample justice to the instructions he had received, more than fulfilling the strongest hopes of
his teacher.
"The Delawares are women!" he exclaimed,
addressing himself to the savage who had a slight
understanding of the language, in which he spoke;
"the Yengeese, my foolish countrymen, have told
them to take up the tomahawk, and strike their
fathers in the Canadas, and they have forgotten
their sex. Does my brother wish to hear'le Cerf
Agile' ask for his petticoats, and see him weep
before the Hurons, at the' stake?"
The exclamation, "hugh;" delivered in a strong
tone of assent, announced the gratification the
savage would receive, in witnessing such an exhibition of weakness in an enemy so long hated
and so much feared.
" Then let him step aside, and the cunning man
will blow upon the dog! Tell it to my brothers."
The Huron explained the meaning of David to
his fellows, who, in their turn, listened to the project with that sort of satisfaction, that their untamed
spirits might be expected to find, in such a refinement in cruelty.  They drew back a little from
the entrance, and motioned to the supposed conjuror to enter. But the bear, instead of obeying,
maintained the seat it had taken, and growled.
"The cunning man is afraid that his breath
will blow upon his brothers, and take away their
L2




402    (         THE LAST OF
courage too," continued David, improving the
hint he received; " they must stand further off."
The Hurons, who would have deemed such a
misfortune the hcaviest calamity that could befall
them, fell hack in a body, taking a position where
they were out of ear-shot, though, at the same
time, they could command a view of the entrance
to the lodge. Then, as if satisfied of their safety,
the scout left his position, and slowly entered the
place. It was silent and gloomy, being tenanted
solely by the captive, and lighted by the dying
embers of a fire, which had been used for the purposes of cookery.
Uncas occupied a distant corner, in a reclining
attitude, being rigidly bound, both hands and feet,
bystrong and painful withes.  When the frightful
object first presented itself to the young Mohican,
he did not deign to bestow a single glance on the
animal.  The scout, who had left David at the
door, to ascertain they were not observed, thought
it prudent to preserve his disguise until assured of
their privacy. Instead of speaking, therefore, he
exerted himself to enact one of the antics of the
animal he represented.  The young Mohican,
who, at first, believed his enemies had sent in a
real beast to torment him, and try his nerves, detected, in those performances that to Heyward had
appeared so accurate, certain blemishes; that at
once betrayed the counterfeit.  Had Hawk-eye
been aware of the low estimation in.which the
more skilful Uncas held his representations, he
would, probably, have prolonged the entertainment a little in pique.   But the scornful expression of the young man's eye, admitted of so many
constructions, that the worthy scout was spared
the mortification of such a discovery. As. soon,
therefore, as David gave the preconcerted signal




THE MOHICANS.              403
a low, hissing sound, was heard in the lodge, in
place of the fierce growlings of the bear.
Uncas had cast his body back against the wall
of the hut, and closed his eyes, as if willing to exclude such contemptible and disagreeable objects
from his sight. But the moment the noise of the
serpent was heard, he arose, and cast his looks on
each side of him, bending his head low, and turning it inquiringly in every direction, until his
keen eye rested on the shaggy monster, where it
remained riveted, as though fixed by the power of
a charm. Again the same sounds were repeated,
evidently proceeding fiom the mouth of the beast.
Once more the eyes of the youth roamed over the
interior of the lodge, and returning to their former
resting-place, he uttered, in a deep, suppressed
voice, the usual exclamationI ugh!"
"Cut his bands," said Hawk-eye to David, who
just then approached them.
The singer did as he was ordered, and Uncas
found his limbs released. At the same moment,
the dried skin of the animal rattled hurriedly, and
presently the scout arose to his feet, in his proper
person. The Mohican appeared to comprehend
the nature of the attempt his friend had made,
intuitively; neither tongue nor feature betraying
another symptom of surprise. When Hawk-eye
had cast his shaggy vestment, which was done by
simply loosing certain thongs of skin, he drew a
a long glittering knife, and put it in the hands of
Uncas.
The red Hurons are without," he said; "le
us be ready."
At the same time, he laid his finger significant
ly on another similar weapon; both being the




404             THE LAST OF
fruits of his prowess among their enemies during
the evening.
"We will go!" said Uncas.
" Whither?"
"To the Tortoises-they are the children of my
grandfathers!"
"Ay, lad," said the scout in English, a language he was apt to use when a little abstracted in
mind; "the same blood runs in your veins, I believe; but time and distance has a little changed
its colour! What shall we do with the Mingoes at
the door! They count six, and this singer is as
good as nothing."
" The Hurons are boasters!" said Uncas, scornfully; "their'toten' is a moose; and they run
like snails. The Delawares are children of the
tortoise; and they outstrip the deer!"
"Ay, lad, there is truth in what you say; and
I doubt not, on a rush, you would pass the whole
nation; and in a straight race of two miles, would
be in, and get your breath again, afore a knave of
them all was within hearing of the other village!
But the gift of a white man lies more in his arms
than in his legs. As for myself, I can brain a
Huron, as well as a better man, but when it comes
to a race, the knaves would prove too much for
me."
Uncas, who had already approached the door,
in readiness to lead the way, now recoiled, and
placed himself, once more, in the bottom of the
lodge. But Hawk-eye, who was too much occupied with his own thoughts to note the movement, continued speaking more to himself than to
his companion.
" After all," he said, "it is unreasonable to keep
one man in bondage to the gifts of another. So,
Uncas, you had better take the leap, while I will




THE MOHICANS.              405
-put on the skin again, and trust to cunning for
want of speed."
The young Mohican made no reply, but quietly
folded his arms, and leaned his body against one
of the upright posts that supported the wall of the
hut.
" Well," said the scout, looking up at him, in
some surprise,' why do you tarry; there will be
time enough for me, as the knaves will give chase
to you at first."
" Uncas will stay," was the calm reply.
" For what?"
" To fight with his father's brother, and die with
the friend of the Delawares."
"Ay, lad," returned Hawk-eye, squeezing the
hand of Uncas between his own iron fingers;
"'twould have been more like a Mingo than a
Mohican, had you left me. But I thought I
would make the offer, seeing that youth commonly loves life. Well, what can't be done by main
courage, in war, must be done by circumvention.
Put on the skin-I doubt not you can play the
bear nearly as well as myself."
Whatever might have been the private opinion
of Uncas of their respective abilities, in this particular, his grave countenance manifested no opinion of his own superiority. He silently and ex.
peditiously eneased himself in the covering of the
beast, and then awaited such other movements as
his more aged conpanion saw fit to dictate.
" Now, friend," said Hawk-eye, addressing David, "an exchange of garments will be a great
convenience to you, inasmuch as you are but little
accustomed to the make-shifts of the wilderness
Here, take my hunting shirt and cap, and give me
your blanket and hat. You must trust me with
the book and spectacles, as well as the tooter,




406             THE LAST OF
too; if we ever meet again, in better times, you
shall have 11 back again, with many thanks in the
bargain."
David parted with the several articles named
with a readiness that would have done great credit to his liberality, had he not certainly profited,
in many particulars, by the exchange. Hawk-eye
was not long in assuming his borrowed garments;
and when his keen, restless eyes were hid behind
the glasses, and his head was surmounted by the
triangular beaver, as their statures were not dissimilar, he might readily have passed for the
singer, by star-light. As soon as these dispositions were made, the scout turned to David, and
gave him his parting instructions.
" Are you much given to cowardice?" he blunt
ly asked, by way of obtaining a suitable understanding of the whole case, before he ventured a
prescription.
" My pursuits are peaceful, and my temper, I
humbly trust, is greatly given to mercy and love,"
returned David, a little nettled at so direct an attack on his manhood; "but there are none who
can say, that I have ever forgotten my faith in the
Loid, even in the greatest straits."
"Your chiefest danger will be at the moment
when the savages find out that they have been
deceived. If you are not then knocked in the
head, your being a non-compossur will protect
you, and you'll then have good reason to expect
to die in your bed.  If you stay, it must be to sit
down here in the shadow, and take the part of
Uncas, until such times as the cunning of the In
dians discover the cheat, when, as I have already
said, your time of trial will come.  So choose for
yourself, to make a rush, or tarry here."
"' Even so," said David, firmly; "I will abide




TEE MOH1CANS.               407
it the place of the Delaware; bravely and generously has he battled in my behalf, and this, and
more, will I dare in his service."
" You have-spoken as a man, and like one who,
under wiser schooling, would have been brought
to better things. Hold your head down. and draw
in your legs; their formation might tell the truth
too early.  Keep slent as long as may be; and it
would bewise when you do speak, to break out
suddenly in one of your shoutings, which will
serve to remind the Indians that you are not altogeiher as responsible as men should be.  If, however, they take your scalp, as I trust and believe
they will not, depend on it, Uncas and I will not
forget the' deed, but revenge it, as becomes true
warriors and trusty friends."
" Hold!" said David, perceiving that with this
assurance -they were about to leave him; "I am
an unworthy and humble follower of one, who
taught not the damnable principle of revenge.
Should I fall, therefore, seek no victims to my
manes, but rather forgive my destroyers;. and if
you remember them at all, let it be in prayers for
the enlightening of their minds, and for their eternal welfare!"
The scout hesitated,and appeared to muse deeply.
" There is a principle in that," he said, " different from the law of the woods! and yet it is fair
and noble to reflect upon!" Then, heaving a heavy sigh, probably Jmong the last he ever drew in
pining for the condition he had so long abandoned,
he added —" It is what I would wish to practyse
myself, as one without a cross of blood, though it
is not always easy to deal with an Indian, as you
would with a fellow  christian.  God bless you.
friend; I do'believe your scent is not greatly
wrong, when the matter is duly considered, and




408             THE LAST OF
keeping eternity before the eyes, though much
depends on the natural gifts, and the force of
temptation."
So saying, the scout returned, and shook David
cordially by the hand; after which act of friendship, he immediately left the lodge, attended by
the new representative of the beast.
The instant Hawk-eye found himself under the
observation of the Hurons, he drew up his tall
form in the rigid manner of David, threw out his
arm in the act of keeping time, and commenced,
what he intended for an imitation of his psalmody.
Happily, for the success of this delicate adventure,
he had to deal with ears but little practised in the
concord of sweet sounds, or the miserable effort
would infallibly have been detected. It was necessary to pass within a dangerous proximity of
the dark groupe of savages, and the voice of the
scout grew louder as they drew nigher. WVhen
at the nearest point, the Huron who spoke the
English, thrust out an arm, and stopped the supposed singing-master.
"The Delaware dog!" he said, leaning forward,
and peering through the dim  light to catch the
expression of the other's features; "is he afraid?
will the Hurons hear his groans?"
A growl, so exceedingly fierce and natural, proceeded from the beast, that the young Indian re
leased his hold, and started aside, as if to assure
himself that it was not a veritable bear, and no
counterfeit, that was rolling before him..Hawkeye, who feared his voice would betray him to his
subtle enemies, gladly'profited by the interruption,
to break out anew, in such a burst of musical expression, as would, probably, in a more refined
state of society, have been termed a " grand
crash."  Among his actual auditors, however, it




THE MOHICANS.               409
merely gave him an additional claim  to that re
spect, which they never withhold from  such as
are believed to be the subjects of mental alienation. The little knot of Indians drew back, in a
oody, and suffered, as they thought, the conjuror
and his inspired assistant to proceed.
It required no common exercise of fortitude in
Uncas and the scout, to continue the dignified and
deliberate pace they had assumed in passing the
lodges; especially, as they immediately perceived,
that curiosity had so far mastered fear, as to induce the watchers to approach the hut, in order to
witness the effect of the incantations. The least
injudicious or impatient movement on the part of
David, might betray them, and time was alsolutely necessary to insure the safety of the scout. The
loud noise the latter conceived it politic to continue, drew  many curious gazers to the doors of
tile different huts, as they passed; and once or
twice a dark looking warrior stepped across their
path, led to the act by superstition or watchfulness.  They were not, however, interrupted; the
darkness of the hour, and the boldness of the attempt, proving their principal friends.
The adventurers had got clear of the village, and
were now swiftly approaching the shelter of the
woods, when a loud and long cry arose from the
lodge where Uncas had been confined. The Mohican started on his feet, and shook his shaggy covering, as though the animal he counterfeited was
about to make some desperate effort.
"Hold!" said the scout, grasping his friend by
the shoulder, "let them yell again!'Twas nothing
but their wonderment."
He had no occasion to delay, for at the next
instant a burst of cries filled the outerair, and ran
along the whole extent of the village.  lneas
2M




410              THE LAST OF
cast his skin, and stepped forth in his ownolofty
and beautiful proportions.  Hawk-eye tapped him
lightly on the shoulder, and glided ahead.
"Now let the devils strike our scent!" said the
scout, tearing two rifles, with all their attendant
accout';menis from beneath a bush, and flourish.
ing'kill-deer' as he handed Uncas a weapon;
"two, at least, will find it to their deaths."
Then throwing their pieces to a low trail, like
sportsmen in readiness for their game, they dashed
forward, and were soon buried in the sombre darkness of the forest.
CHAPTER XXVIL
Adn. " I shall remember:
When Caesar says, do this, it is performed."
Julius Cesar.
THE impatience of the savages who lingered
about the prison of Uncas,'as has been seen, had
overcome their dread of the conjuror's breath
They stole cautiously, and with beating hearts,
to a crevice, through which the faint light of the
fire was glimmering. For several minutes, they
mistook  the form  of David for that of their
prisoner; but the very accident which Hawk-eye
had foreseen, occurred.  Tired of keeping the extremities of his long person so near togetlher, the
singer gradually suffered the lower limbs to extend themselves, until one of his misshapen feet
actually came in contact with, and shoved aside,
the embers of the fire.  At first, the Hurons be.
lieved the Delaware had been thus deformed by




THE MOHICANS               411
witchcraft. But when David, unconscious of being
observed, turned his head, and exposed his simple, mild countenance, in place of the stern and
haughty lineaments of their prisoner, It would
have exceeded the credulity of even a rative to
have doubted any longer. They rushed together
into the lodge, and laying their hands, with but
little ceremony, on their captive, immediately
detected the imposition. Then arose the cry first
heard by the fugitives. It was succeeded by the
most frantic and angry demonstrations of ven
geance. David, however firm in his determination to cover the retreat of his friends, was now
compelled to believe that his own final hour had
come.  Deprived of his hook and his pipe, he
was fain to trust to a nemory that rarely failed
him on such subjects, and breaking forth in a loud
and impassioned strain, he endeavoured to smooth
his passage into the other world, by singing the
opening verse of a funeralanthem.  The Indians
were seasonably reminded of his infirmity, and
rushing into the open air, they aroused the village
in the manner described.
A  native warrior fights as he sleeps, without
the protection of any thing defensive. The sounds
of the alarm were, therefore, hardly uttered, before
two hundred men were afoot, and ready for the
battle, or the chase, as either might be required.
The escape was soon known, and the whole tribe
crowded, in a body, around the council lodge, impatiently awaiting the instruction of their chiefs.
In rsuch a sudden demand on their wisdom, the
presence of the cunning Magua could scarcely fail
of fbeing needed.  His name was mentioned, and
all- looked round in wonder, that he did not appear,.; -^elssengers were then despatched to his
lodge, requiring his presence.




412             THE LAST OF
In the mean time, some of the swiftest and
most discreet of the young men were ordered to
make the circuit of the clearing, under cover of
the woods, in order to ascertain that their suspected
neighbours, the Delawares, designed no mischief.
Women and children ran to and fro; and, in short,
tile whole encampment exhibited another scene of
wild and savage confusion. Gradually, however,
these symptoms of disorder diminished, and in a
few minutes the oldest and most distinguished
chiefs were assembled in the lodge, in grave consultation.
The clamour of many voices soon announced
that a party approached, who might be expected
to communicate some intelligence that would explain the mystery of the novel surprise. The
crowd without gave way, and several warriors
entered the place, bringing with them the hapless
conjuror, who had been left so long by the scout
in such a painful duresse.
Notwithstanding this man was held in very unequal estimation among the Hurons, some believing implicitly in his power, and others deeming
him an impostor, he was now listened to by all,
with the deepest attention. When his brief story
was ended, the father of the sick woman stepped
forth, and in a few pithy expressions, related, in
his turn, what he knew.  These two narratives
gave a proper direction to the subsequent inquiries,
which were now  made with the characteristic
gravity and cunning of the savages.
Instead of rushing in a confused and disorderly
throng to the cavern, ten of the wisest and firmest
among the chiefs were selected to prosecute the
investigation. As no time was to be lost, the
instant the choice was made, the individuals appointel rose, in a boldy, nnf left thr-plTce without




THEI MORICANS.              413
speaking On reaching the entrance, the younger
men in advance made way for their seniors, and
the whole proceeded along the low, dark gallery,
with the firmness of warriors ready to devote
themselves to the public good, though, at the same
time, secretly doubting the nature of the power
with which they were about to contend.
The outer apartment of the cavern was silent
and gloomy.  The woman lay in her usual place
and posture, though there were those present who
had just affirmed they had seen her borne to the
woods, by the supposed " medicine of the white
men."  Such a direct and palpable contradiction
of the tale related by the father, caused all eyes to
be turned on him. Chafed by the silent imputation, and inwardly troubled by so unaccountable
a circumstance, the chief advanced to the side of
the bed, and stooping, cast an incredulous look at
the features, as if still distrusting their reality.
His daughter was dead.
The unerring feeling of nature for a moment
prevailed, and the old warrior hid his eyes in sorrow.  Then  recovering his self-possession, he
faced his companions, and pointing towards the
corpse, he said, in the language of his people"The wife of my young man has left  s! the
Great Spirit is angry with his children."
The mournful intelligence was received In solemn silence.  After a short pause, one of the elder Indians was about to speak, when a dark looking object was seen rolling out of an adjoining
apartment, into the very centre of the room where
they stood. Ignorant of the nature of the beings
they had to deal with, the whole party drew back
a little, and gazed in admiration, until the object
fronted the light, and rising frightfully on end,
exhibited the distorted, but still fierce and sullen,
2 M'




414            THE LAST OP
features of Magua. The discovery was succeeded
by a loud and general exclamation of amazement.
As soon, however, as the true situation of the
chief was understood, several ready knives appeared, and his limbs and tongue were quickly
released.  The Huron arose, and shook himself
like a lion quitting his lair.  Not a word escaped
him, though his hand played convulsively with the
handle of his knife, while his lowering eyes scan
ned the whole party, as if they sought an object
suited to the first burst of his vengeance.
It was happy for Uncas and the scout, and even
David, that they were all beyond the reach of his
arm at such a moment, for assuredly, no refinement in cruelty would then have deferred their
deaths, in opposition to the promptings of the
fierce temper that nearly choked him.  Meeting
every where faces that he knew as friends, the
savage grated his teeth together, like rasps of iron,
and swallowed his passion, for want of a victim on
whom to vent it. This exhibition of anger was
keenly noted by all present, and from an apprehension of exasperating a temper that was already
chafed nearly to madness, several minutes were
suffered to pass before another word was uttered.
When, however, suitable time had elapsed, the
oldest of the party spoke.
"My friend has found an enemy!" he said.
Is he nigh, that the Hurons may take revenge!"
"Let the Delaware die!" exclaimed Magua, in
a voice of thunder.
Another long and expressive silence was observed, and was broken, as before, with due precaution, by the same individual.
"The Mohican is swift of foot, and leaps far,"
e said.; "but my young men are on his trail."
"Is he gone?" demanded Magua, in tones so




THE M:OHICANS.             415
deep and guttural, that they seemed to proceed
from his inmost chest.
"An evil spirit has been among us, and the
Delaware has blinded our eyes."
"An evil spirit!" repeated the other, bitterly;''tis the spirit that has taken the lives of so many
Hurons.  The spirit that slew my young men at
cthe tumbling river;' that took their scalps at the'healing spring;' and who has, now, bound the
arms of le Renard Subtil!"
" Of whom does my friend speak?"
" Of the dog who carries the heart and cunning
of a Huron under a pale skin-la Longue Carabine."
The pronunciation of so terrible a name, produced the usual effect among his auditors. But
when time was given for reflection, and the warriors remembered that their formidable and daring enemy had even been in the bosom of their
encampment, working injury, fearful rage took
the place of wonder, and all those fierce passions
with which the bosom of Magua had just been
struggling, were suddenly transferred to his companions.  Some among them gnashed their teeth
in anger, others vented their feelings in yells, and
some, again, beat the air as frantically, as if the
object of their resentment was suffering under
their blows. But this sudden outbreaking of temper, as quickly subsided in the still and sullen restraint they most affected in their moments of
inaction.
Magua, who had, in his turn, found leisure for
a little reflection, now changed his manner, and
assumed the air of one who knew how to think
and act with a dignity worthy of so grave a subject.
" Let us go to my people," he said; " they wait
for us."




416              THE LAST OF
His companions consented, in silence, and the
whole of the savage party left the cavern, and returned to the council lodge.  When they were
seated, all their eyes turned on Magua, who understood, from  such an indication, that, by corn
mon consent, they had devolved the duty of relating what had passed, on him. He arose, and told his
tale, without duplicity or reservation. The whole
deception practised by both Duncan and Hawkeye, was, of course, laid naked; and no room was
found, even for the most superstitious of the tribe,
any longer to affix a doubt on the character of the
occurrences. It was but too apparent, that they
had been insultingly, shamefully, disgracefully,
deceived.  When he had ended, and resumed
his seat, the collected tribe-for his auditors, in
substance, included all the fighting men of the party-sate regarding each other like men astonished equally at the audacity and the success of their
enemies.  The next consideration, however, was
the means and opportunities for revenge.
Additional pursuers were sent on the trail of
the fugitives; and then the chiefs applied themselves in earnest to the business of consultation.
Many different expedients were proposed by the
elder warriors, in succession, to all of which Magua was a silent and respectful listener.  That
subtle savage had recovered his artifice and selfcommand, and now proceeded towards his object
with his customary caution and skill. It was only when each one disposed to speak had uttered
his sentiments, that he prepared to advance his
own opinions.  They were given with additional
weight, from the circumstance, that some of the
runners had already returned, and -reported, that
their enemies had been traced so far, as to leave
no doubt of their having sought safety in the




THE MOHICANS               417
neighbouring camp of their suspected allies, the
Delawares. With the advantage of possessing this
important intelligence, the chief warily laid his
plans before his fellows, and, as might have been
anticipated from his eloquence and cunning, they
were adopted without a dissenting voice.  They
were, briefly, as follows, both in opinions and in
motives.
It has been already stated, that in obedience to
a policy rarely departed from, the sisters were
separated so soon as they reached the Huron vil
lage.  Magua had early discovered, that in retain
ing the person of Alice, he possessed the most effectual check on Cora. When they parted, therefore, he kept the former within reach of his hand,
consigning the one he most valued to the keeping
of their allies. The arrangement was understood
to be merely temporary, and was made as much
with a view to flatter his neighbours, as in obedience to the invariable rule of Indian policy.
While goaded, incessantly, by those revengeful
impulses that in a savage seldom slumber, the chief
was still attentive to his more permanent, personal interests.  The follies and disloyalty committed in his youth, were to be expiated by a long
and painful penance, ere he could be restored to
the full enjoyment of the confidence of his ancient
people; and without confidence, there could be no
authority in an Indian tribe. In this delicate and
arduous situation, the crafty native had neglected
no means of increasing his influence; and one of
the happiest of his expedients, had been the success with which he had cultivated the favour of
their powerful and most dangerous neighbour..
The result of his experiments had answered all the
expectations of his policy-for the Hurons were
in no degree exempt from that governing princi




418             THE LAST OF
pie of our nature, which induces man to value his
gifts precisely in the degree that they are appreciated by others.
But while he was making this ostensible sacrifice to general considerations, Magua never lost
sight of his individual motives.  The latter had
been frustrated by the unlooked-for events, which
had thus, at a single blow, placed all his prisoners
beyond his control, and he now found himself reduced to the necessity of suing for favours to
those whom  it had so lately been his policy to
oblige.
Several of the chiefs had proposed deep and
treacherous schemes to surprise the Delawares,
and by gaining possession of their camp, to recover their prisoners by the same blow; for all
agreed that their honour, their interests, and the
peace and happiness of their dead countrymen,
imperiously required them speedily to immolate
some victims to their revenge. But plans so dangerous to attempt, and of such doubtful issue,
Magua found little difficulty in defeating.  He
exposed their risque and fallacy with his usual
skill; and it was only after he had removed every
impediment, in the shape of opposing advice, that
he ventured to propose his own projects.
He commenced by flattering the self-love of his
auditors; a never-failing method of commanding
attention.  Vhen he had enumerated the many
different occasions on which the Hurons had exhibited their courage and prowess, in the punishment of insults, he digressed in a high encomium
on the virtue of wisdom. He painted the quality,
as forming the great point of difference between
the beaver and other brutes; between brutes and
men; and, finally, between the Hurons, in particular, and the rest of the human race. After he




THE MOHICANS.              419
had sufficiently extolled the property of discretion, he undertook to exhibit in what manner its
use was applicable to the present situation of their
tribe. On the one hand, he said, was their great
pale father, the governor of the Canadas, who had
looked upon his children with a hard eye, since
their tomahawks had been so red; on the other,
a people as numerous as themselves, who spoke a
different language, possessed different interests,
and loved them  not, and who would be glad of
any pretence to bring them in disgrace with the
great white chief. Then he spoke of their necessities; of the gifts they had a right to expect for
their past services; of their distance from their
proper hunting grounds and native villages; and
of the necessity of consulting prudence more, and
inclination less, in such critical circumstances.
When he perceived, that, while the old men applauded his moderation, many of the fiercest and
most distinguished of the warriors listened to
these politic plans with lowering looks, he cunningly led them back to the subject which they
most loved.  He spoke openly of the fruits of
their wisdom, which he boldly pronounced would
be a complete and final triumph over their enemies.  He even darkly hinted that their success
might be extended, with proper caution, in such a
manner, as to include the destruction of all whom
they had reason to hate.  In short, he so blended
the warlike with the artful, as to flatter the propensities of both parties, and to leave to each subject for hope, while neither could say, it clearly
comprehended his intentions.
The orator, or the politician, who can produce
such a state of things, is commonly popular with
his contemporaries, however he may be treated by
posterity.  All perceived that more was meant




420             THE LAST OF
than was uttered, and each one believed that the
hidden meaning wis precisely such as his own
faculties enabled him to anticipate.
In this happy state of things, it is not surpris.
ing that the management of Magua prevailed.
The tribe consented to act with deliberation, and
with one voice they committed the direction of
the whole affair to the government of the chief,
who had suggested such wise and intelligible expedients.
Magua had now attained one great object of all
his cunning and enterprise. The ground he had
lost in the favour of his people was completely
regained, and he found himself even placed at the
head of affairs. He was, in truth, their ruler; and
so long as he could maintain his popularity, no
monarch could be more despotic, especially while
the tribe continued in a hostile country. Throwing off, therefore, the appearance of consultation,
he assumed the grave air of authority, necessary
to support the dignity of his office.
Runners were despatched for intelligence, in
different directions; spies were ordered to ap
proach and feel the encampment of the Delawares,
the warriors were dismissed to their lodges, with
an intimation that their services would soon be
needed; and the women and children were order
ed to retire, with a warning, that it was their province to be silent. When these several arrangements were made, Magua passed through the village, stopping here and there, to pay a visit where
he thought his presence might be flattering to the
individual.  He confirmed his friends in their
confidence; fixed the wavering; and gratified all.
Then he sought his own lodge.  The wife the
Huron chief had abandoned, when he was chased
from among his people, was dead. Children he




THE MOHICANS.              421
had none: and he now  occupied a hut, without
companion of any sort.  It was, in fact, the dilapidated and solitary structure in which David had
been discovered, and whom he had tolerated in his
presence, on those few occasions when they meti
with the contemptuous indifference of a haughty
superiority.
Hither, then, Magua retired, when his labours
of policy were ended. While others slept, however, he neither knew  nor sought any repose.
Had there been one sufficiently curious to have
watched the movements of the newly elected chief,
he would have seen him seated in a corner of his
lodge, musing on the subject of his future plans,
from the hour of his retirement, to the time he
had appointed for the warriors to assemble again.
Occasionally, the air breathed through the crevices
of the hut, and the low flame that fluttered abouc
the embers of the fire, thrVw their wavering light
on the person of the sullen recluse. At such moments, it would not have been difficult to have
fancied the dusky savage the Erince of Darkness,
brooding on his own fancied wrongs, and plotting
evil.
Long before the day dawned, however, warrior
after warrior entered the solitary hut of Magua,
until they had collected to the number of twenty.
Each bore his rifle, and all the other accoutrements of war; though the paint was uniformly
peaceful. The entrance of these fierce looking
beings was unnoticed; some seating themselves in
the shadows of the place, and others standing like
motionless statues, in profound silence, until the
whole of the designated band was collected.
Then Magua arose, and gave the signal to proceed, marching himself in advance. They followed their leader singly, and in that well known
2N




422             THE LAST OF
order, which has obtained the distinguishing appellation of "Indian file."  Unlike other men engaged in the spirit-stirring business of war, they
stole from their camp, unostentatiously and unobserved, resembling a band of gliding spectres,
more than warriors seeking the bubble reputation
by deeds of desperate daring.
Instead of taking the path which led directly
towards the camp of the Delawares, Magua led
his party for some distance down the windings of
the stream, and along the little artificial lake of
the beavers.  The day began to dawn as they
entered the clearing, which had been formed by
those sagacious and industrious animals. Though
Magua, who had resumed his ancient garb, bore
the outline of a fox, on the dressed skin which
formed his robe, there was one chief of his party,
who carried the beaver as his peculiar symbol, or
"totem."  There would have been a species of
profanity in the omission, had this man passed so
powerful a community of his fancied kindred,
without bestowing some evidence of his regard.
Accordingly, he paused, and spoke in words as
kind and friendly, as if he were addressing more
intelligent beings. He called the animals his cousins, and reminded them that his protecting influence was the reason they remained unharmed,
while so many avaricious traders were prompting
the Indians to take their lives. He promised a
continuance of his favours, and admonished them
to be grateful.  After which, he spoke of the expediton in which he was himself engaged, and
intimated, though with sufficient delicacy and cir
cumlocution, the expediency of bestowing on their
relative a portion of that wisdom for which they
were so renowned.
During the utterance of this extraordinary ad.




THE MOHICANS.              423
dress, the companions of the speaker were as grave
and as attentive to his language, as though they
were all equally impressed with its propriety.
Once or twice black objects were seen rising to
the surface of the water, and the Huron expressed
pleasure, conceiving that his words were not
bestowed in vain. Just as he had ended his address, the head of a large beaver was thrust from
the door of a lodge, whose earthen walls had been
much injured, and which the party had believed,
from its situation, was uninhabited. Such an extraordinary sign of confidence was received by the
orator as a highly favourable omen; and, though
the animal retreated a little precipitately, he was
lavish of his thanks and commendations.
When Magua thought sufficient time had been
lost, in gratifying the family affection of the warrior, he again made the signal to proceed. As
the Indians moved away in a body, and with a
step that would have been inaudible to the ears of
any common man, the same venerable looking
beaver once more ventured his head from  its
cover. Had any of the Hurons turned to look
behind them, they would have seen the animal
watching their movements with an interest and
sagacity that might easily have been mistaken for
reason. Indeed, so very distinct and intelligible
were the devices of the quadruped, that even the
most experienced observer would have been at a
loss to account for its actions, until the moment
when the party entered the forest, when the whole
would have been explained, by seeing the entire
animal issue from the lodge, uncasing, by the act,
the grave and attentive features of Chingachgook
from his mask of fuir.




CHAPTER XXVIII.
"Brief, I pray you; for you see,'tis a busy time with me.
JMuch Ado About.N'othing.
THE tribe, or rather half-tribe, of Delawares,
which has been so often mentioned, and whose
present place of encampment was so nigh the
temporary village of the Hurons, could assemble
about an equal number of warriors with the latter
people. Like their neighbours, they had followed
Montcalm into the territories of the English
crown, and were making heavy and serious in
roads on the hunting grounds of the Mohawks.
though they had seen fit, with the mysterious
reserve so common among the natives, to with
hold their assistance at the moment when it was
most required.  The French had accounted for
this unexpected defection on the part of their ally
in various ways. It was the prevalent opinion,
however, that they had been influenced by veneration for the ancient treaty, that had once made
them dependent on the Iroquois for military protection, and now rendered them  reluctant to encounter their former masters. As for the tribe
itself, it had been content to announce to Montcalm, through his emissaries, with Indian brevity,
that their hatchets were dull, and time was necessary to sharpen them. The politic captain of
the Canadas had deemed it wiser to submit to
entertain a passive friend, than, by any acts of
ill-judged severity, to convert him into an open
enemy.
On that morning when Magua led his silent
party from the settlement of the beavers into the
forest. in the manner described, the sun rose upon




THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.          425
the Delaware encampment, as though it had suddenly burst upon a busy people, actively employed in all the customary avocations of high noon.
The women ran from lodge to lodge, some engaged in preparing their morning's meal, a few earnestly bent on seeking the comforts necessary to
their habits, but more pausing to exchange hasty
and whispered sentences with their friends. The
warriors were lounging in groupes, musing more
than they conversed; and when a few words were
uttered, speaking like men who deeply weighed
their opinions. The instruments of the chase were
to be seen in abundance among the lodges; but
none departed. Here and there, a warrior might
be seen examining his arms, with an attention
that is rarely bestowed on the implements, when
no other enemy than the beasts of the forest are
expected to be encountered. And, occasionally,
the eyes of a whole groupe were turned simultaneously towards a large and silent lodge in the
centre of the village, as if it contained the subject
of their common thoughts.
During the existence of this scene, a man suddenly appeared at the farthest extremity of that
platform  of rock which formed the level of the
village. He was without arms, and his paint tended rather to soften than increase the natural sternness of his austere and marked countenance. When
in full view of the Delawares, he stopped, and
made a gesture of amity, by throwing his arm
upward towards heaven, and then letting it fall
impressively on his breast. The inhabitants of
the village answered his salute by a low murmui
of welcome, and encouraged him to advance by
similar Indications of friendship.  Fortified by
these assurances, the dark figure left the brow of
the natural rocky terrace, where it had stood a
2N2




426              THE LAST OF
moment, drawn in a strong outline against the
blushing morning sky, and moved, with dignity,
into the very centre of the huts. As he approached, nothing was audible but the rattling of the
light silver ornaments that loaded his arms and
neck, and the tinkling of the little bells that fringed his deer-skin moccasins.  He made, as he advanced, many courteous signs of greeting to the
men he passed, neglecting to notice the,women,
however, as though he deemed their favour, in
the present enterprise, of no importance.  When
he had reached the groupe, in which it was evident, by the haughtiness of their common mien,
that the principal chiefs were collected, the stranger paused, and then the Delawares saw that the
active and erect form that stood before them, was
that of the well known Huron chief, le Renard
Subtil.
His reception was grave, silent, and wary. The
warriors in front stepped aside, opening the way
to their most approved orator by the action; one
who spoke all those languages that were cultivated among the northern aborigines.
"The wise Huron is welcome," said the Delaware, in the language of the Maquas; "he is come
to eat his'suc-ca-tush' with his brothers of tie
lakes!"
"He is come;" repeated Magua, bending his
head with the dignity of an eastern prince.
The chief extended his arm, and taking the
other by the wrist, they once more exchanged
their friendly salutations. Then the Delaware
invited his guest to enter his own lodge, and share
his morning meal. The invitation was accepted,
and the two warriors, attended by three cr foul
of the old men, walked calmly away, leaving the
rest of the tribe devoured by a desire to under:




THE MOHICANS.              427
stand the reasons of so unusual a visit, and vet
not betraying the least impatience, by any sign or
syllable.
During the short and frugal repast that followed, the conversation was extremely circumspect,
and related entirely to the events of the hunt, in
which Magua had so- lately been engaged.  It
would have been impossible for the most finished
breeding to wear more of the appearance of considering the visit as a thing of course, than did
his hosts, notwithstanding every individual present was perfectly aware, that it must be connected with some secret object, and that, probably,
of the last importance to themselves.  When the
appetites of the whole were appeased, the squaws
removed the trenchers and gourds, and the two
parties began to prepare themselves for a keen
and subtle trial of their wits.
" Is the face of my great Canada father turned
again towards his Huron children?" demanded
the orator of the Delawares.
"When was it ever otherwise?" returned Magua. " He calls my people his'most beloved.'"
The Delaware gravely bowed his acquiescence
to what he knew to be false, and continued" The tomahawks of your young men have been
very red!"
" It is so; but they are nowv bright and dullfor the Yengeese are dead, and the Delawares are
our neighbours!"
The other acknowledged the pacific compliment by a graceful gesture of the hand, and remained silent. Then Magua, as if recalled to such
a recollection, by the allusion to the massacre,
demanded" Does my prisoner give trouble to my brothers?"
" She is welcome."




428              THE LA ST OF
"The path between the Hurons and the Dela
wares is short, and it is open; let her be sent to
my squaws, if she gives trouble to my brother.'
"She is welcome," returned the chief of the
latter nation, still more emphatically.
The baffled  Magua continued  silent several
minutes, apparently indifferent, however, to the
repulse he had received in this, his opening, ef
fort to regain possession of Cora.
" Do my young men leave the Delawares room
on the mountains for their hunts?" he, at length,
continued.
" The Lenape are rulers of their own hills," returned the other, a little haughtily.
It is well. Justice is the master of a red-skin!
Why should they brighten their tomahawks, and
sharpen their knives against each other! Are
there not pale-faces for enemies!"
"Good!" exclaimed two or three of his auditors at the same time.
Magua waited a-little, to permit his words to
soften the feelings of the Delawares, before he
added( —
" Have there not been strange moccasins in the
woods?  Have not my brothers scented the feet
of white men?"
"Let my Canada father come!" returned the
other, evasively; " his children are ready to see
him."
"When the Great Chief comes, it is to smoke
with the Indians, in their wigwams. The Hurons
s.ay, too, he is welcome. But the Yengeese have
long arms, and legs that never tire! My young
men dreamed they had seen the trail of the Yengeese nigh the village of the Delawares?"
"They will not find the Lenape asleep.
"It is well.  The warrior whose eye is opeun,




THE MOIICANS.               429
can sec his enemy," said Magua, once more shifting his ground, when he found himself unable to
penetrate the caution of his companion.  "I have
brought gifts to my brother.  His nation would
not go on the war-path, because they did not think
it well; but their friends have remembered where
they lived."
When he had thus announced his liberal intention, the crafty chief arose, and gravely spread his
presents before the dazzled eyes of his hosts.
They consisted principally of trinkets of little
value, plundered from the slaughtered and captured females of William Henry. In the division of
the baubles, the cunning Huron discovered no less
art than in their selection.  While he bestowed
those of greater value on the two most distinguished warriors, one of whom was his host, he
seasoned his offerings to their inferiors with such
well-timed and apposite compliments, as left them
no grounds of complaint.  In short, the whole
ceremony contained such a happy blending of
the profitable'with the flattering, that it was not
difficult for the donor immediately to read the effect of a generosity so aptly mingled with praise,
in the eyes of those he addressed.
This well-judged and politic stroke on the part
of Magua, was not without its instantaneous results. The Delawares lost their stern gravity, in
a much more cordial expression of features; and
the host, in particular, after contemplating his own
liberal share of the spoil, for some moments, with
peculiar gratification, repeated, with strong emphasis, the words" My brother is a wise chief. He is welcome!"
" The Hurons love their friends the Delawares,"
returned Magua.  "Why should they not! they
are coloured by the same sun, and their just men




430             THE LAST OF
will hunt in the same grounds after death. The
red-skins should be friends, and look with open
eyes on the white men. Has not my brother
scented spies in the woods?"
The Delaware, whose name, in English, signified " Hard-heart," an appellation that the French
had translated into "Le-cceur-dur," forgot that
obduracy of purpose, which had probably obtained him so significant a title. His countenance
grew very sensibly less stern, and he now deigned
to answer more directly.
"There have been strange moccasins about my
camp. They have been tracked into my lodges."
"Did my brother beat out the dogs?" asked
Magua, without adverting in any manner to the
former equivocation of the chief.
"It would not do. The stranger is always
welcome to the children of the Lenape."
"The stranger, but not the spy!"
"Would the Yengeese send their women as
spies? Did not the Huron chief say he took woimen in the battle?"
" He told no lie. The Yengeese have sent out
their scouts. They have been in my wigwams,
but they found there no one to say welcome:
Then they fled to the Delawares-for, say they,
the Delawares are our friends; their minds are
turned from their Canada father!"
This insinuation was a home thrust, and one
that, in a more advanced state of society, would
have entitled Magua to the reputation of a skilful
diplomatist. The recent defection of their tribe
had, as they well knew themselves, subjected the
Delawares to much reproach among their French
allies, and they were now made to feel that their
future actions were to be regarded with jealousy
and distrust. There was no deep insight, into




THE MOHICANS.              431
causes and effects, necessary to foresee that such
a situation of things was likely to prove nighly
prejudicial to all their future movements. Their
distant villages, their hunting grounds, and nun
dreds of their women and children, together with
a material part of their physical force, were all
actually within the limits of the French territory.
Accordingly, this alarming annunciation was received, as Magua intended, with manifest disapprobation, if not with alarm.
"Let my father look in my face," said Lecoeur-dur; " he will see no change. It is true, my
young men did not go out on the war-path; they
had dreams for not doing so. But they love and
venerate the great white chief."
"Will he think so, when he hears that his
greatest enemy is fed in the camp of his children!
When he is told, a bloody Yengee smokes at your
fire! That the pale-face, who has slain so many of
his friends, goes in and out among the Delawares!
Go-my great Canada Father is not a fool!"
" Where is the Yengee that the Delawares
fear!" returned the other;   who has slain my
young men! who is the mortal enemy of my
Great Father!"
"La Longue Carabine."
The Delaware warriors started at the well
known name, betraying, by their amazement, they
now learnt, for the first time, that one so famous
among tihe Indian allies of France, was within
their power.
"What does my brother mean?" demanded
Le-cceur-dur, in a tone that, by its wonder, far
exceeded the usual apathy of his race.
"A Huron never lies," returned Magua; coldly, leaning his head against the side of the lodge,
and drawing his slight robe across his tawny




.432             THE LAST OF
breast.  "Let the Delawares count their prisoners; they will find one whose skin is neither red
nor pale."
A  long and musing pause succeeded.  Then
the chief consulted, apart, with his companions,
and messengers were despatched to collect certain
others of the most distinguished men of the tribe.
As warrior after warrior dropped in, they were
each made acquainted, in turn, with the important
intelligence that Magua had just communicated.
The air of surprise, and the usual, low, deep, guttural exclamation, were common to them all. The
news spread from mouth to mouth, until the whole
encampment became powerfully agitated.  The
women suspended their labours, to catch such syllables as unguardedly fell from the lips of the consulting warriors. The boys deserted their sports,
and walking fearlessly among their fathers, looked
up in curious admiration, as they heard the brief
exclamations of wonder they so freely expressed,
at the temerity of their hated foe. In short, every
occupation was abandoned, for the time; and al'
other pursuits seemed discarded, in order that the
tribe might freely indulge, after their own pecu
liar manner, in an open expression of their feel
inos.
TWhen the excitement had a little abated, the
old men disposed themselves seriously to a consideration of that which it became the honour and
safety of their tribe to perform, under circumstances
of so much delicacy and embarrassment. During
all these movements, and in the midst of the general commotion, MagL'a had not only maintained
his seat, but the very attitude he had originally
taken,against the side of the lodge, where he continued as immoveable, and, apparently, as unconcerned, as if he had no interest in the result. Not




THE MOHICANS.              433
a single indication of the future intentions of his
hosts, however, escaped his vigilant eyes.  With
his consummate knowledge of the nature of the
people with whom he had to deal, he anticipated
every measure on whbih they decided; and it
might almost be said, that, in many instances, he
knew their intentions, even before they became
known to themselves.
The council of the Delawares was short. When
it was ended, a general bustle announced that it
was to be immediately succeeded by a solemn and
formal assemblage of the nation. As such meetings were rare, and only called on occasions of
the last importance, the subtle Huron, who still
sate apart, a wily and dark observer of the proceedings, now knew that all his projects must be
brought to their final issue. He, therefore, left
the lodge, and walked silently forth to the place,
in front of the encampment, whither the warriors
were already beginning to collect.
It might have been half an hour before each individual, including even the women and children,
was in his place. The delay had been created by
the grave preparations that were deemed necessary to so solemn and unusual a conference. But,
when the sun was seen climbing above the tops
of that mountain, against whose bosom the Delawares had constructed their encampment, most
were seated; and as his bright rays darted from
behind the outline of trees that fringed the eniinence, they fell upon as grave, as attentive, and
as deeply interested a multitude, as was probably
ever before lighted by his morning beams. Its
number somewhat exceeded a thousand souls.
In a collection of such serious savages, thete is
never to be found any impatient aspirant after
premature distinction, standing ready to move his
20




434             THE LAS'T o
auditors to some hasty, and, perhaps, injudicious
discussion, in order that his own reputation may
be the gainer. An act of so much precipitancy
and presumption, wotuld seal the downfall of precocious intellect for ever. It rested solely with
the oldest and most experienced of themen to lay
the subject of their conference before the people.
Until such an one chose to make some movement,
no deeds in arms, no natural gifts, nor any renown
as an orator, would have justified the slightest interruption. On the present occasion, the aged
warrior whose privilege it was to speak, was silent, seemingly oppressed with the magnitude of
his subject.  The delay had already continued
long beyond the usual, deliberative pause, that always precedes a conference; but no sign of impatience, or surprise, escaped even the youngest boy.
Occasionally, an eye was raised from the earth,
where the looks of most were rivetted, and strayed
towards a particular lodge, that was, however, in
no manner distinguished from  those around it
except in the peculiar care that had been taken to
protect it against the assaults of the weather.
At length, one of those low murmurs that are
so apt to disturb a multitude, was heard, and the
whole nation arose to their feet by a common impulse. At that instant, the door of the lodge in
question opened, and three men issuing from it,
slowly approached  the  place of consultation.
They were all aged, even beyond that period to
which the oldest present had reached; but one in
the centre, who leaned on his companions for support, had numbered an amount of years, to which
the human race is seldom permitted to attain. His
frame, which had once been tall and erect, like
the cedar, was now bending under the pressure of
more than a century.  The elastic, light step of




THE MOHICANS.              435
an Indian was gone, and in its place, he was compelled to toil his tardy way over the ground, inch
by inch.  His dark, wrinkled countenance, was
in singular and wild contrast with his long white
locks, which floated on his shoulders, in such
thickness, as to announce that generations had
probably passed away, since they had last been
shorn.
The dress of this patriarch, for such, considering his vast age, in conjunction with his affinity
and influence with his people, he might very properly be termed, was rich and imposing, though
strictly after the simple fashions of the tribe.
His robe was of the finest skins, which had been
deprived of their fur, in order to admit of a hieroglyphical representation of various deeds in arms,
done in former ages. His bosom was loaded with
medals, some in massive silver, and one or two
even in gold, the gifts of various christian potentates, during the long period of his life. He also
wore armlets, and cinctures above the ancles, of
the latter precious metal.  His head, on the whole
of which the hair had been permitted to grow, the
pursuits of war having so long been abandoned,
was encircled by a sort of silver diadem, which,
in its turn, bore lesser and more glittering ornaments, that sparkled amid the glossy hues of three
drooping ostrich feathers, dyed a deep black, in
touching contrast to the colour of his snow-white
locks.  His tomahawk was nearly hid in silver,
and the handle of his knife shone like a horn of
solid gold.
So soon as the first hum of emotion and pleasure, which the sudden appearance of this venerated individual created, had a little subsided,the
name of " Tamenund" was whispered from mouth
to mouth.  Magua had often heard the fame of




436              THE LAST OF
this wise and just Delaware; a reputation that even
proceeded so far as to bestow on him the rare gift
of holding secret communion with the Great Spirit,
and which has since transmitted his name, with
some slight alteration, to the white usurpers of
his ancient territory, as the imaginary, tutelar
saint* of a vast empire. The Huron chief, therefore, stepped eagerly out a little from the throng,
to a spot whence he might catch a nearer glimpse
of the features of the man, whose decision was
likely to produce so deep an influence on his own
fortunes.
The eyes of the old man were closed, as though
the organs were wearied with having so long witnessed the selfish workings of human passions.
The colour of his skin differed from that of most
around him, being richer and darker; the latter
hue having been produced by certain delicate and
mazy lines of complicated and yet beautiful figures,
which had been traced over most of his person by
the operation of tattooing. Notwithstanding the
position of the Huron, he passed the observant and
silent Magua without notice, and leaning on his
two venerable supporters, proceeded to the high
place of the multitude, where he seated himself in
the centre of his nation, with the dignity of a
monarch, and the air of a father.
Nothing could surpass the reverence and affection with which this unexpected visit, from one
who belonged rather to another world than to
this, was received by his people. After a suitable
and decent pause, the principal chiefs arose, and
approaching the patriarch, they placed his hands
reverently on their heads, seeming to entreat a
blessing.. The younger men were content with
* St. Tammany.




T1E MOHICANS.               437
touching his robe, oi even with drawing nigh his
person, in order to oreathe in the atmosphere of
one so aged, so just, and so valiant.  None but
the most distinguished among the youthful warriors even presumed so far as-to perform the latter
ceremony; the great mass of the multitude deem
ing it a sufficient happiness to look upon a form
so deeply venerated, and so well beloved. When
these acts of affection and respect were performed,
the chiefs drew back again to their several places,
and a deep and breathing silence reigned in the
whole encampment.
After a short delay, a few of the young men,
to iwhom instructions had been whispered by one
of the aged attendants of Tamenund, arose, left
the crowd, and entered the lodge which has already
been noted as the object of so much attention,
throughout that morning. In a few minutes they
re-appeared, escorting the individuals who had
caused all these solemn preparations, towards the
seat of judgment.  The crowd opened in a lane,
and when the party had re-entered, it closed in
again, forming a large and dense belt of human
bodies, arranged in an open circle.
CHAPTER XXIX.
" The assembly seated, rising o'er the rest,
Achilles thus the king of men address'd."
Pope's Homer
CORA stood foremost among the prisoners, entwining her arms in those of Alice, in the fondest
tenderness of sisterly love. Notwithstanding the
202




438             THE LAST OF
fearful and menacing array of savages on every
side of her, no apprehension on her own account
could prevent the noble-minded maiden from keeping her eyes fastened on the pale and anxious
features of the trembling Alice. Close at their
side stood Heyward, with an interest in both, that,
at such a moment of intense uncertainty, scarcely
knew a preponderance in favour of her whom he
most loved. Hawk-eye had placed himself a little
in the rear, with a deference to the superior rank
of his companions, that no similarity in the state
of their present fortunes could induce him to forget. Uncas was not among them.
When perfect silence was again restored, and
after the usual, long, impressive pause, one of
the two aged chiefs, who sate at the side of the
patriarch, arose, and demanded aloud, in very intelligible English"Which of my prisoners is la Longue Carabine?"
Neither Duncan nor the scout made any answer.
The former, however, glanced his eyes around the
dark and silent assembly, and recoiled a pace,
when they fell on the malignant visage of Magua.
He saw, at once, that this wily savage had some
secret agency in their present arraignment before
the nation, and determined to throw every possible impediment in the way of the execution of his
sinister plans. He had witnessed one instance of
the summary punishments of the Indians, and
now dreaded that his companlon was to be selected for a second   In this dilemma, with little or
no time for reflection, he suddenly determined
to cloak his invaluable friend, at any or every
hazard to himself. Before he had time, however,
to speak, the question was repeated in a louder
voice, and with a clearer utterance.




THE MOHICANS.               49
" Give us arms," the young man haughtily replied, "and place us in yonder woods. Our deeds
shall speak for us!"
" This is the warrior whose name has filled our
ears!" returned the chief, regarding Heyward
with that sort of curious interest, which seems
inseparable from  man, when first beholding one
of his fellows, to whom merit or accident, virtue
or crime, has given notoriety. " What has brought
the white man into the camp of the Delawares?"
" My necessities.  I come for food, shelter,
and friends."
" It cannot be.  The woods are full of game.
Fhe head of a warrior needs no other shelter than
a sky without clouds, and the Delawares are the
enemies, and not the friends, of the Yengeese.
Go-your mouth has spoken, while your heart
has said nothing."
Duncan, a little at a loss in what manner to proceed, remained silent; but the scout, who had
listened attentively to all that passed, now advanced boldly to the front, and assumed the task
of explaining.
" That I did not answer to the call for la Longue
Carabine, was not owing either to shame or fear,"
he said; "for neither one nor the other is the gift
of an honest man. But I do not admit the right
of the Mingoes to bestow a name on one, whose
friends have been mindful of his gifts, in this particular  especially, as their title is all a lie;'killdeer' being a genuine grooved barrel, and no carabyne. I am the man, however, that got the name
of Nathaniel from my kin; the compliment of
Hawk-eye from the Delawares, who live on their
own river; and whom the Iroquois have presumed to style the'long rifle,' without any warranty
from himl  who is most concerned in the matter2




440              THE LAST OF
The eyes of all present, which had hitherto
been gravely scanning the person of Duncan, were
now turned, on the instant, towards the upright,
iron frame of this new pretender to so distinguished an appellation. It was in no degree remarkable, that there should be found two who were
willing to claim so great an honour, for impostors,
though rare, were not unknown amongst the natives; but it was altogether material to the just
and severe intentions of the Delawares, that there
should be no mistake in the matter.  Some of
their old men consulted together, in private, and
then, as it would seem, they determined to interrogate their visitor on the subject.
"My brother has said that a snake crept into my
camp," said the chief to Magua; " which is he V'
The Huron pointed to the scout, but continued
silent.
"Will a wise Delaware believe the barking of
a wolf!" exclaimed Duncan, still more confirmed
in the evil intentions of his ancient enemy; "a
dog never lies, but when was a wolf known to
speak the truth?"
The eyes of Magua flashed fire; but suddenly
recollecting the necessity of maintaining his presence of mind, he turned away in silent disdain,
well assured that the sagacity of the Indians would
not fail to extract the real merits of the point in
controversy.  He was not deceived; for, after
another short consultation, the wary Delaware
turned to him again, and expressed the determi
nation of the ch'efs, though in the most consider
ate language.
"My brother has been called a liar," he said;
"and his friends are angry.  They will show
that he has spoken the truth. Give my prisoners
guns, and let them prove which is the man."




THE MOHICANS.              441
Mauila affected to consider the expedient, which
he well knew proceeded from distrust of himself,
as a compliment, and made a gesture of acquies
cence, well content that his veracity should be
supported by so skilful a marksman as the scout.
The weapons were instantly placed in the hands
of the friendly opponents, and they were bid to
fire, over the heads of the seated multitude, at an
earthen vessel, which lay, by accident, on a stump,
some fifty yards from the place where they stood.
Heyward smiled to himself, at the idea of such
a competition with thescout, though he determined to persevere in the deception, until apprised
of the designs of Magua. Raising his rifle, then,
with the utmost care, and renewing his aim three
several times, he fired. The bullet cut the wood
within a few inches of the vessel, and a general
exclamation of satisfaction announced that the shot
was considered a singular proof of great skill in
the use of the weapon. Even Hawk-eye nodded
his head, as if he would say, it was better than he
had expected.  But, instead of manifesting an intention to contend with the successful marksman,
he stood leaning on his rifle for more than a mi
nute, like a man who was completely buried in
deep thought. From this i everie he was, however,
speedily awakened, by one of the young Indians
who had famrished the arms, and who now touched his shoulder, saying, in exceedingly broken
English"Can the pale-face beat it?"
"Yes, Huron!" exclaimed the scout, raising
the short rifle in his right hand, and shaking it at
Magua, with as much apparent ease as though it
were a reed; "yes, Huron, I could strike you
now, and no power of'arth could prevent the
deed! The soaring hawk is not more certain of




442            THE LAST OF
the dove, than I am this moment of you, did I
choose to send a bullet to your heart! Why should
I not? Why!- because the gifts of my colour
forbid it, and I might draw down evil on tender
and innocent heads! If you know such a being
as God, thank him, therefore, in your inward soul
*-for you have reason!"
The flushed countenance, angry eye, and swelling figure of the scout, produced a sensation of
secret awe in all that heard him. The Delawares
held their breath in intense expectation; but Magua
himself, even while he distrusted the forbearance
of his enemy, remained as immoveable and calm,
where he stood, wedged in by the crowd, as
though he grew to the fatal spot.
" Beat it," repeated the young Delaware at the
elbow of the scout.
"Beat.what; fool!-what!"-exclaimed Hawkeye, still flourishing the weapon angrily above his
head, though his eye no longer sought the person
of Magua.
" If the white man is the warrior he pretends,"
said the aged chief, "let him strike nigher to the
mark."
The scout laughed tauntingly, and aloud-a
noise that produced the startling effect of unnatural sounds on Heyward-and then dropping the
piece, heavily, into his extended left hand, it was
discharged, apparently by the shock, driving the
fragments of the vessel high into the air, and scattering them on every side of the stump. Almost
at the same instant, the heavy rattling sound of
the rifle was heard, as he suffered it to fall, conLemptuously, to the earth.
The first impression of so strange a scene was
deep and engrossing admiration. Then a low, but
increasing murmur, ran through the multitude,




THE MOHICANS.              443
and finally swelled into sounds, that denoted lively
opposition in the sentiments of the spectators.
While some openly testified their satisfaction at
such unexampled dexterity, by far the largei portion of the tribe were inclined to believe the success of the shot was the result of accident. Heyward was not slow to confirm an opinion that was
so favourable to his own pretensions.
"It was all a chance!" he exclaimed; "none
can shoot without an aim!"
" Chance!' echoed the excited woodsman, who
was now stubbornly bent on mair taining his identity, at every hazard, and on whom the secret
hints of Heyward to acquiesce in the deception
were entirely lost. "Does yonder lying Huron,
too, think it chance? Give him another gun, and
place us face to face, without cover or dodge, and
let Providence, and our own eyes, decide the
matter atween us! I do not make the offer to
you, major; for our blood is of a colour, and we
serve the same master."
" That the Huron is a liar, is very evident,"
returned Heyward, coolly; " you have, yourself,
heard him assert you to be la Longue Carabine."
It were impossible to say what violent assertion
the stubborn Hawk-eye would have next made, in
his headlong wish to vindicate his identity, had
not the aged Delaware once more interposed.
"The hawk which comes from  the clouds, can
return when he will," he said; "give them the
guns."
This time the scout seized the rifle with avidity;
nor had Magua, though he watched the nrovement
of the marksman with jealous eyes, any further
cause for apprehension.
" Now: let it be proved, in the face of this tribe
of Delawares, who is the better man," cried the




444              THE LAST OF
scout, tapping the butt of his piece with that finger
which had pulled so many fatal triggers.  "You
see the gourd hanging against yonder tree, major;
if you are a marksman, it for the borders, let me
find that you can break its shell!"
Duncan noted the object, and prepared himself
to renew the trial.  The gourd was one of the
usual little vessels used by the Indians, and was
suspended from a dead branch of a small pine, by
a thong of deer-skin, at the full distance of a hundred yards.  So strangely compounded is the
feeling of self-love, that the young soldier, while
he knew the utter worthlessness of the suffiages
of his savage umpires, forgot the sudden motives
of the contest, in a wish to excel.  It has been
seen, already, that his skill was far from being
contemptible, and he now resolved to put forth
its nicest qualities. Had his life depended on the
issue, the aim of Duncan could nrot have been
more deliberate and guarded. He fired: and three
or four young Indians, who sprang forward at the
report, announced with a shout, that the ball was
in the tree, a very little on one side of the proper
object. The warriors uttered a common ejaculation of pleasure, and then turned their eyes, inquiringly, on the movements of his rival.
"It may do for the Royal Americans!" said
Hlawk-eye, laughing once more in his own silent
heartfelt, manner; "but had my gun often turned
so much from the true line, many a martin, whose
skin is in a lady's muff, would now be in the
woods; ay, and many a bloody Mingo, who has
departed'to his final account, would be acting his
deviltries at this very day, atween the provinces.
I hope the squaw who owns the gourd, has more
of them in her wigwam, for this will never hold
water again'!




TnE  IOHICANS.              445
The scout had shook his priming, and cocked
his piece, while speaking; and, as he ended, he
threw back a foot, and slowly raised the muzzle
from the earth: The motion was steady, uniform,
and in one direction. When on a perfect level, it
remained for a single moment, without tremor or
variation, as though both man and rifle were carved
in stone. During that stationary instant, it poured
forth its contents, in a bright, glancing, sheet of
flame. Again the young Indians bounded forward, but their hurried search and disappointed
looks announced, that no traces of the bullet were,
to be seen.
" Go," said the old chief to the scout, in a tone
of strong disgust; " thou art a wolf in the skin of
a dog.  I will talk to the'long rifle" of the Yerlgeese."
"Ah! had I that piece which furnished the
name you use, I would obligate myself to cut the
thong, and drop the gourd, instead of breaking
it!" returned Hawk-eye, perfectly undisturbed
by the other's manner. " Fools, if you would find
the bullet of a sharp-shooter of these woods, you
must look in the object, and not around it!"
The Indian youths instantly comprehended his
meaning-for this time he spoke in the Delaware
tongue-and tearing the gourd from the tree, they
held it on high, with an exulting shout, displaying
a hole in its bottom, which had been cut by the
bullet, after passing through the usual orifice in
the centre of its upper side. At this unexpected
exhibition, a loud and vehement expression of
pleasure burst from the mouth of every warrior
present. It decided the question, and effectually
established Hawk-eye in the possession of his
dangerous reputation. Those curious and admiring eyes which had been turned again or TTev
c} p




446             THE LAST OF
ward, were finally directed to the weather-beaten
form of the scout, who immediately became the
principal object of attention, to the simple and
unsophisticated beings, by whom  he was surrounded.  When the sudden and noisy commotion had a little subsided, the aged chief resumed
his examination.
" Why did you wish to stop my ears?" he said,
addressing Duncan; " are the Delawares fools, that
they could not know the young panther from the
cat?"
" They will yet find the Huron a singing-bird,"
said Duncan, enleavouring to adopt the figurative
language of the natives.
" It is good. We will know who can shut the
ears of men.  Brother," added the chief, turning
his eyes on Magua, "the Delawares listen."
Thus singled, and directly called on, to declare
his object, the Huron arose, and advancing with
great deliberation and dignity, into the very centre
of the circle, where he stood confronted to the
prisoners, he placed himself in an attitude to speak.
Before opening his mouth, however, he bent his
eyes slowly along the whole living boundary ot
earnest faces, as if to temper his expressions to the
capacities of his audience.  On Hawk-eye he cast
a glance of respectful enmity; on Duncan, a look
of inextinguishable hatred; the shrinking figure
of Alice, he scarcely deigned to notice; but when
his glance met the firm, commanding, and yet
lovely form of Cora, his eye lingered a moment,
with arn expression, that it might have been diffi*
cult to define. Then, filled with his own dark intentions, he spoke in the language of the Canadas,
a tongue that he well knew was comprehended by
most of his aulitors.
" The Spirit that made men, coloured them dif




THE MOHICANS.              447
ferently," commenced the subtle Huron.  "Some
are blacker than the sluggish bear. These he
said should be slaves; and he ordered them to
work for ever, like the beaver. You may hear
them groan, when the south wind blows, louder
than the lowing buffaloes, along the shores of the
great salt water, where the big canoes come and
go with them  in droves.  Some he made with
faces paler than the ermine of the forests: and
these he ordered to be traders; dogs to their women, and wolves to their slaves.  He gave this
people the nature of the pigeon; wings that never
tire; young, more plentiful than the leaves on the
trees, and appetites to devour the earth. He gave
them tongues like the false call of the wild-cat;
hearts like rabbits; the cunning of the hog, (but
none of the fox,) and arms longer than the legs of
the moose. With his tongue, he stops the ears of
the Indians; his heart teaches him to pay warriors to fight his battles; his cunning tells him
how to get together the goods of the earth; and
his arms enclose the land from the shores of the
salt water, to the islands of the great lake. His
gluttony makes him sick. God gave him enough,
and vet he wants all. Such are the pale-faces.
"Some the Great Spirit made with  skins
brighter and redder than yonder sun," continued
Magua, pointing impressively upward to the lurid
luminary, which was struggling through the misty
atmosphere of the horizon; "and these did he
fashion to his own mind. He gave them this island as he Lad made it, covered with trees, and
filled with game. The wind made their clearings;
the sun and rains ripened their fruits; and the
snows came to tell them to be thankfull  Wha
need had they of roads to journey by! They saw
through the hills! When the beavers worked, they




'448             THE LAST OF
lay in the shade, and looked on.  The winds
cooled them  in summer; in winter, skins kept
them warm.  If they fought among themselves,
it was to prove that they were men.  They were
brave; they were just: they were happy."
Here the. speaker paused, and again looked
around him, to discover if his legend had touched
the sympathies of his listeners. He met every
where with eyes rivetted on his own. heads erect,
and nostrils expanded, as though each individual
present felt himself able and willing, singly, to redress the wrongs of his race.
"If the Great Spirit gave different tongues to
his red children," he continued, in a low, still,
melancholy voice, " it was, that all animals might
understand them.  Some he placed among the
snows, with their cousin the bear.  Some he
placed near the setting sun, on the road to the
happy hunting grounds.  Some on the lands
around the great fresh waters; but to his greatest,
and most beloved, he gave the sands of the salt
lake. Do my brothers know the name of this
favoured people?"
" It was the Lenape!" exclaimed twenty eager
voices, in a breath.
"It was the Lenni Lenape," returned Magua,
affecting to bend his head in reverence to their
former greatness.  "It was the tribes of the Lenape! The sun rose from the water that was salt.
and set in water that was sweet, and never hid
himself from their eyes.  But why should I, a
Huron of the woods, tell a wise people their own
traditions? Why remind them of their injuries;
their ancient greatness; their deeds; their glory;
their happiness-their losses; their defeats; thrir
misery? Is there not one among them who has




TH] MOHICANS.              449
seen it all, and who knows it to be true? I have'lone. My tongue is still, but my ears are open."
As the voice of the speaker suddenly ceased,
every face and all eyes turned, by a common
movement, towards the venerable  Tamenund.
From the moment that he took his seat, until the
present instant, the lips of the patriarch had not
severed, nor had scarcely a sign of life escaped
him.  He had sate, bent in feebleness, and apparently unconscious of the presence he was in, dui
ing the whole of that opening scene, in which the
skill of the scout had been so clearly established.
At the nicely graduated sounds of Magua's voice,
however, he had betrayed some evidence of consciousness, and once or twice he had even raised
his head, as if to listen.  But when the crafty
Huron spoke of his nation by name, the eyelids
of the old man raised themselves, and he looked
out upon the multitude, with that sort of dull, unmeaning expression, which might be supposed to
belong to the countenance of a spectre. - Then he
made an effort to rise, and being upheld by his
supporters, he gained his feet, in a posture commanding by its dignity, while he tottered with
weakness.
"Who calls upon the children of the Lenape!"
he said, in a deep, guttural voice, that was rendered awfully audible by the breathless silence of the
multitude; " who speaks of things gone! Does not
the egg become a w:orm-the worm a fly-and
perish! Why tell the Delawares of good that is
past? Better thank the Manitto for that which
remains."
"It is a Wyandott," said Magua, stepping nigher to the rude platform on which the other stood;
"a friend of Tamenund."
" A friend!" repeated the sage, on whose brow
2P2




450              THE LAST OF
a (lark frown settled, imparting a portion of that
severity, which had rendered his eye so terrible
in middle age-" Are the Mingoes rulers of the
earth! What brings a Huron here?"
" Justice. His prisoners are with his brothers,
and he comes for his own."
Tamenund turned his head towards one of his
supporters, and listened to the short explanation
the man gave. Then facing the applicant. he regarded him a moment with deep attention; after
which, he said, in a low and reluctant voice" Justice is the law of the Great Manitto.  My
children, give the stranger food. Then, Huron,
take thine own, and depart."
On the delivery of this solemn judgment, the
patriarch seated himself, and closed his eyes again,
as if better pleased with the images of his own
ripened experience, than with the visible objects
of the world. Against such a decree, there was
no Delaware sufficiently hardy to murmur, much
less oppose himself. The words were barely uttered, when four or five of the younger warriors
stepping behind Heyward and the scout, passed
thongs so dexterously and rapidly around their
arms, as to hold them  both in instant bondage,
The former was too much engrossed with his precious and nearly insensible burthen, to be aware
of their intentions before they were executed; and
the latter, who considered even the hostile tribes
of the Delawares a superior race of beings, sub.
mitted without resistance. Perhaps, however, the
manner of the scout would not have been so passive, had he fully comprehended the language in
which the preceding dialogue had been conducted.
Magua cast a look of triumph around the whole
assembly before he proceeded to the execution of
his purpose. Perceiving that the men were un




THE MOHICANS.              451
able to offer any resistance, he turned his looks on
her he valued most. Cora met his gaze with an
eye so calm and firm, that his resolution wavered.
Then recollecting his former artifice, he raised
Alice from the arms of the warrior, against whom
she leaned, and beckoning Heyward to follow, he
motioned for the encircling crowd to open. But
Cora, instead of obeying the impulse he had expected, rushed to the feet of the patriarch, and
raising her voice, exclaimed aloud" Just and venerable Delaware, on thy wisdom
and power we lean for mercy! Be deaf to yonder artful and remorseless monster, who poisons
thy ears with falsehoods, to feed his thirst for
blood. Thou, that hast lived long, and that hast
seen the evil of the world, should know how to
temper its calamities to the miserable."
The eyes of the old man opened heavily, and
he once more looked upward at the multitude.
As the full, piercing tones of the supplicant swelled on his ears, they moved slowly in the direction of her person, and finally settled there, in a
steady, rivetted gaze.  Cora had cast herself to
her knees, and with hands clenched in each other,
and pressed upon her bosom, she remained like a
beauteous and breathing model of her sex, looking
up in his faded, but majestic countenance, with a
species of holy reverence. Gradually, the expression of Tamenund's features changed, and losing
their vacancy in admiration, they lighted with a
portion of that intelligence, which, a century before, had been wont to communicate his youthful
fire to the extensive bands of the Delawares. Rising, without assistance, and, seemingly, without
an effort, he demanded, in a voice that startled its
auditors by its firmness"What art thou?"




452             THE LAST OF' A wolnan. One of a hated race, if thou wilt
-a Yengee. But one who has never harmed
thee, and who cannot harm  thy people, if she
would; who asks for succour."
"Tell me, my children," continued the patriarch, hoarsely, motioning to those around him,
though his eyes still dwelt upon the kneeling form
of Cora, "where have the Delawares'camped?"
" In the mountains of the Iroquois; beyond the
clear springs of the Horican."
" Many parching summers are come and gone,"
continued the sage, "since I drank of the waters
of my own river. The children of Miquon are
the justest white men; but they were thirsty, and
they took it to themselves. Do they follow us so
far?"
" We follow none; we covet nothing;" answered the ardent Cora. " Captives against our wills,
have we been brought amongst you; and we ask
but permission to depart to our own, in peace.
Art thou not Tamenund-the father-the judge
-I had almost said, the prophet-of this people?"
" I am Tamenund of many days."
"'Tis now some seven years that one of thy
people was at the mercy of a white chief, on the
borders of this province. He claimed to be of the
blood of the good and just Taamenund.'Go,' said
the white man,'for thy parent's sake, thou art
free.' Dost thou remember the name of that
Eng!ish warrior?"
"I remember, that when a laughing boy," returned the patriarch, with the peculiar recollection of vast age, "I stood upon the sands of the
sea-shore, and saw a big canoe, with wings wh ter
than the swan's, and wider than many eagles,
come from the rising sun-""Nay, nay; I speak not of a time so very dis



TIE MOHICANS.              453
tCnt; but of favour shown to thy kindred by one
of mine, within the memory of thy youngest warrior."
"Was it when the Yengeese and Che Dutcheianne fought for the hunting grounds of the Delawares? Then Tamenund was a chief, and first laid
aside the bow for the lightning of the pale-faces-"
"Nor yet then," interrupted Cora again, "by
many ages; I speak of a thing ofyesterday. Surely,
surely, you forget it not!"
It was but yesterday," rejoined the aged man,
with a touching pathos in his hollow voice, "that
the children of the Lenape were masters of the
world! The fishes of the salt-lake, the birds, the
beasts, and the Mengwe of the woods, owned
them for Sagamores."
Cora bowed her head in the anguish of disappointment, and, for a bitter moment, struggled
with her chagrin. Then elevating her rich features
and beaming eyes, she continued, in tones scarcely
less penetrating than the unearthly voice of tho
patriarch himself,
" Tell me, is Tamenund a father?"
The old man looked down upon her, from his
elevated stand, with a benignant smile on his
wasted countenance, and then casting his eyes
slowly over the whole assemblage, he answered"Of a nation."
"For myself I ask nothing.  Like thee and
thine, venerable chief," she continued, pressing
hez hands convulsively on her heart, and suffering
her head to droop, until her burning cheeks were
nearly concealed in the maze of dark, glossy
tresses, that fell in disorder upon her shoulders,
"the curse of my ancestors has fallen heavily on
their child! But yonder is one, who has.:reVer
known the weight of Heaven's displeasure, until




454              THE LAST OF
now.  She is the daughter of an old and.tiling
man, whose (lays are near their close. She has
many, very many, to love her, and delight in her;
and she is too good, much too precious, to become
the victim of that villain.'
"I know  that the pale-faces are a proud and
hungry race.  I know that they claim, not only
to have the earth, but that the meanest of their
colour is better than the Sachems of the red man.
Thile dogs and crows of their tribes," continued
the earnest old chieftain, without heeding the
wounded spirit of his listener, whose head was
nearly crushed to the earth, in shame, as he proceeded, " would bark and caw, before they would
take a woman to their wigwams, whose blood was
not of the colour of snow. But let them not boast
before the face of the Manitto too loud.  They
entered the land at the rising, and may yet go off
at the setting sun! I have often seen the locusts
strip the leaves from the trees, but the season of
blossoms has always come again!"
" It is so," said Cora, drawing a long breath, as
if reviving from a trance, raising her face, and
shaking back her shining veil, with a kindling
eye, that contradicted the death-like paleness of
her countenance; "but why-it is not permitted
us to inquire! There is yet one of thine own people, who has not been brought before thee; before
thou lattest the Huron depart in triumph, heat
him speak."
Observing Tamenund to look about him doubtIngly, one of his companions said" It is a snake-a red-skin in the pay of the
Yengeese.  We keep him for the torture."
"Let him come," returned the sage.
Then Tamenund once more sunk into his seat,
and a silence so deep prevailed, while the young




THE MOHICANS.                45
men prepared to obey his simple mandate, that
the leaves, which fluttered in the draught of the
light morning air, were distinctly heard rustling
in the surrounding forest.
CHAPTER XXX.
" If you deny me, fie upon your law!
There is no force in the decrees of Venice
I stand forjudgment: answer; shall I have it?
Shakspeare.
THE silence continued  unbroken  by human
sounds for many anxious minutes. Then the waving multitude opened, and shut again, and Uncas
stood environed by the living circle. All those
eyes, which had been curiously studying the lineaments of the sage, as the source of their own inteliigence, turned, on the instant, and were now
bent in secret admiration on the erect, agile, and
faultless person of the captive.  But neither the
presence in which he found himself, nor the exclusive attention that he attracted, in any manner
disturbed the self-possession of the young Mohican.  He cast a deliberate and observing look on
every side of him, meeting the settled expression
of hostility, that lowered in the visages of the
chiefs, with the same calmness as the curious gaze
of the attentive children.  But when, last in his
keen and haughty scrutiny, the person of Tamenund came under his glance, his eye became as
fixed, as though all other objects were already forgotten. Then advancing with a slow and noiseless
step, up the area, he placed himself immediately
before the footstool of the sage.  Here hi stood




456             THE LAST OF
unnoted, though keenly observant himself, until
one of the chiefs apprised the latter of his pre
sence. 
" With what tongue does the prisoner speak to
the Manitto?" demanded the patriarch, without
unclosing his eyes.
"Like his fathers," Uncas replied; " with the
tongue of a Delaware."
At this sudden and unexpected annunciation, a
Iow, fierce yell ran through the multitude, that
might not inaptly be compared to the growl of the
lion, as his choler is first awakened-a fearful
rmen of the weight of his future anger.  The effect was equally strong on the sage, though differently exhibited.  lHe passed a hand before his
eyes, as if to exclude the least evidence of so
shameful a spectacle, while he repeated, in his low
and deeply guttural tones, the words he had just
heard.
" A Delaware! I have lived to see the tribes of
the Lenape driven from  their council fires, and
scattered, like broken herds of deer, among the
ills of the Iroquois! I have seen the hatchets of
a strange people sweep woods from the valleys,
that the winds of Heaven had spared! The beasts
that'run on the mountains, and the birds that fly
above the trees, have I seen living in the wigwams of men; but never before have I found a
Delaware so base, as to creep, like a poisonous ser
pent, into the camps of his nation."
" The singing-birds have opened their bills,"
returned Uncas, in the softest notes of his own
musical voice; "and Tamenund has heard ther
song.,
The sage started, and bent his head aside, as if
to catch the fleeting sounds of some passing melody.




THE MOHICANS.              457
-Does Tamenund  dream!"  he exclaimed'
What voice is at his ear! Have the winters gone
oackward! Will summer some again to the chil
dren of the Lenape!"
A solemn and respectful silence succeeded this
incoherent burst from the lips of the Delaware
prophet.  His people readily construed his unintelligible language into one of those mysterious
conferences, he was believed to hold so frequently, with a superior intelligence, and they awaited
the issue of the revelation in secret awe. After a
long and patient pause, however. one of the aged
men perceiving that the sage had lost the recollection of the subject before them, ventured to remind him again of the presence of the prisoner.
"The false Delaware trembles lest he should
hear the words of Tamenund," he said. "'Tis a
hound that howls, when the Yengeese show him
a trail."
"'And ye," returned Uncas, looking sternly
around him, "are dogs that whine when the
Frenchman casts ye the offals of his deer!"
Twenty knives gleamed in the air, and as many
warriors sprang to their feet, at this biting, and
perhaps merited, retort; but a motion from one of
the chiefs suppressed the outbreaking of their tempers, and restored the appearance of quiet. The
task might possibly have been more difficult, had
not a movement, made by Tamenund, indicated
that he was again about to speak.
" Delaware," resumed the sage, " little art thou
worthy of thy name.  My people have not seen
a bright sun in many winters; and the warrior
who deserts his tribe, when hid in clouds, is doubly a traitor. The law of the Manitto is just. It
is so; while the rivers run and the mountains
stand, while the blossoms come and go on the
2Q




458              THE LAST OF
trees, it must be so. He is thine, my children
deal justly by him."
Not a limb was moved, nor was a breath drawn
louder and longer than common, until the closing
syllable of this final decree had passed the lips of
Tamenund.  Then a cry of vengeance burst at
once, as it might be, from  the united lips of the
nation; a frightful augury of their fierce and ruthless intentions. In the midst of these prolonged
and savage yells, a chief proclaimed, in a high
voice, that the captive was condemned to endure
the dreadful trial of torture by fire.  The circle
broke its order, and screams of delight mingled
with the bustle and tumult of instant preparation.
He.yward struggled madly with his captors; the
anxious eyes of Hawk-eye began to look around
him, with an expression of peculiar earnestness;
and Cora again threw herself at the feet of the patriarch, once more a suppliant for mercy.
Throughout the whole of these trying moments,
Uncas had alone preserved his serenity. He looked on the preparations with a steady eye, and
when the tormentors came to seize him, he met
them with a firm and upright attitude. One among
them, if possible, more fierce and savage than his
fellows, seized the hunting shirt of the young
warrior, and at a single effort tore it from his
body.  Then, with a yell of frantic pleasure, he
leaped toward his unresisting victim, and prepared
to lead him to the stake.  But, at that moment,
when he appeared most a stranger to the feelings
of humanity, the purpose of the savage was arrested as suddenly, as if a supernatural agency had interposed in the behalf of Uncas.  The eye-balls
of the Delaware seemed to start from their sockets; his mouth opened, and his whole form became frozen in an attitude of amazement.  Rais



THE MOHICANS               459
ing his hand With a slow and regulated motion, he
pointed with a finger to the bosom of the captive.
His companions crowded about him, in wonder,
and every eye was, like his own, fastened intently
on the figure of a small tortoise, beautifully tattooed on the breast of the prisoner, in a bright
blue tint.
For a single instant, Uncas enjoyed his triumph,
smiling calmly on the scene. Then motioning
the crowd away, with a high and haughty swee:
of his arm, he advanced in front of the nation with
the air of a king, and spoke in a voice louder than
the murmur of admiration that ran through the
multitude.
" Men of the Lenni Lenape!" he said, "my
race upholds the earth! Your feeble tribe stands
on my shell! What fire, that a Delaware can light,
would burn the child of my fathers," he added,
pointing proudly to the simple blazonry on his
skin; "the blood that came from  such a stock
would smother your flames! My race is the grandfather of nations!"
" Who art thou!" demanded Tamenund, rising,
at the startling tones he heard, more than at any
meaning conveyed by the language of the prisoner
"Uncas, the son of Chingachgook," answered
the captive, modestly, turning from the nation,
and bending his head in reverence to the other's
character and years; "a son of the Great Unamis."*
"The hour of Tamenund is nigh!" exclaimed
the sage; " the day is come, at last, to the night!
I thank the Manitto, that one is here to fill my
place at the council fire.  Uncas, the child of Uncas, is found! Let the eyes of a dying eagle gaze
on the rising sun."
* Turtle




460            THI aE LAST OF
The youth stepped lightly, but proudly, on the
platform, where he became visible to the whole
agit.ated and wondering multitude. Tamenund
held him long at the length of his arm, and read
every turn in the fine and lofty lineaments of his
countenance, with the untiring gaze of one who
recalled the days of his own happiness by the examination.
" Is Tamenund a boy!" at length the bewildered prophet exclaimed.  "Have I dreamt of so
many snows-that my people were scattered like
floating sands-of Yengeese, more plenty than the
leaves on the trees!  The arrow of Tamenund
would not frighten the young fawn; his arm is
withered like the branch of the dying oak; the
snail would be swifter in the race; yet is Uncas
before him, as they went to battle, against the palefaces! Uncas, the panther of his tribe, the eldest
son of the Lenape, the wisest Sagamore of the
Mohicans! Tell me, ye Delawares, has Tame.
nund been a sleeper for alhundred winters?"
The calm and deep silence which succeeded
these words, sufficiently announced the awful reverence with which his people received the communication of the patriarch. None dared to answer, though all listened in breathless expectation
of what might follow.  Uncas, however, looking
in his face, with the fondness and veneration of a
favoured child, presumed on his own high and
acknowledged rank, to reply.
"Four warriors of his race have lived and di
ed," he said, "since the friend of Tamenund led
his people in battle. The blood of the Turtle has
been in many chiefs, but all have gone back into
the earth, from whence they came, except Chingachgook and his son."
"It is true-it is tr e," returned the sage-a




THE MOHICANS.               461
flash of recollection destroying all his pleasing
tancies, and restoring him, at once, to a consciousness of the true history of his nation. " Our wise
men have often said that two warriors of the' unchanged' race were in the hills of the Yengeese;
why have their seats at the council fires of the
Delawares been so long empty?"
At these words the young man raised his head
which he had still kept bowed a little, in reverence, and lifting his voice, so as to be heard by
the multitude, as if to explain, at once, and for
ever, the policy of his family, he said, aloud" Once we slept wl*ere we could hear the salt
lake speak in its anger.  Then we were rulers
and Sagamores over the land. But when a paleface was seen on every brook, we followed the
deer back to the river of our nation. The Delawares were gone I Few warriors of them all stayed to drink of the stream they loved.  Then said
my fathers —' here will we hunt.  The waters of
the river go into the salt lake.  If we go towards
the setting sun, we shall find streams that run into the great lakes of the sweet water; there would
a Mohican die, like fishes of the sea, in the clear
springs.  When the Manitto is ready, and shall
say,'come,' we will-follow the river to the sea,
and take our own again.' Such, Delawares, is the
belief of the children of the Turtle! Our eyes are
on the rising. and not towards the setting sun!
We know  whence he comes, but we know not
whither he goes. It is enough."
The men of the Lenape listened to his words
with all the respect that superstition could lend,
finding a secret charm even in the figurative language with which the young Sagamore imparted
his ideas. Uncas himself watched the effect of his
brief explanation with intelligent eyes, and gra2Q2




462              THE LAST OF
dually dropped the air of authority he had assure
ed, as he perceived that his auditors were content
Then permitting his looks to wander over the
silent throng that crowded around the elevated
seat of Tamenund, he first perceived Hawk-eye,
in his bonds.  Stepping eagerly from  his stand,
he made a way for himself to the side of his friend,
and cutting his thongs with a quick and angry
stroke of his own knife, he motioned to the crowd
to divide. The grave and attentive Indians silently obeyed, and once more they stood ranged
in their circle, as before his appearance among
them.  Uncas then took the scout by the hand,
and led him to the feet of the patriarch.
"Father," he said, "look at this pale-face; a
just man, and the friend of the Delawares."
"Is he a son of Miquon?"'
"Not so; a warrior known to the Yengeese,
and feared by the Maquas."
"What name has he gained by his deeds?'
"We call him  Hawk-eye," Uncas replied,
using the Delaware phrase; "for his sight never
fails. The Mingoes know him better by the death
he gives their warriors; with them  he is the'long rifle."
"La Longue Carabine!" exclaimed Ta:nenund,
opening his eyes, and regarding the scout, sternly.
" My son has not done well to call him friend!"
"I call him  so who proves himself such," returned the voung chief, with great calmness, but
with a steaay mien. " If Uncas is welcome among
the Delawares, then is Hawk-eye with his friends."
"The pale-face has slain my young men; his
name is great for the blows he has struck the Leuape."
"If a Mingo has whispered that much in the
*William Penn.




THE MOHICANS.              463
ear of the Delaware, he has only manifested that
he is a singing-bird," said the scout, who now
believed it was time to vindicate himself from
such offensive charges, and who spoke in the
tongue of the man he addressed, modifying his
Indian figures, however, with his own peculiar
notions. "That I have slain the Maquas, I am
not the man to deny, even at their own council
fres; but that, knowingly, my hand has ever
harmed a Delaware, is opposed to the reason of
my gifts, which is friendly to them, and all that
belongs to their nation."
A low exclamation of applause passed among the
warriors, who exchanged looks with each other.
like men that first began to perceive their error.
" Where is the Huron?" demanded Tamenund.
"Has he stopped my ears!"Magua, whose feelings, during that scene in
which Uncas had triumphed, may be much better
imagined than described, now answered to the call,
by stepping boldly in fiont of the patriarch.
" The just Tamenund," he said, "will not keep
what a Huron has lent."
"Tell me, son of my brother," returned the
sagte, avoiding the dark countenance of le Subtil,
and turning gladly to the more ingenuous features
of Uncas; "has the stranger a conqueror's right
Jver you?"
"He has none.  The panther may get into
snares set by the women, but he is strong, and
knows how to leap through them."
"La Longue Carabine?"
"Laughs at the Mingoes. Go, Huron; ask your
squaws the colour of a bear!"
" The stranger and the white maiden that came
into my camp together?"
" Should journey on an open path'




464             THE LAST OF
"And the woman that the Huron left with my
wan iors?"
Uncas made no reply.
"And the woman that the Mingo has brought
into my camp?" repeated Tamenund, gravely.
" She is mine." cried Magua, shaking his hand
in triumph at Uncas " Mohican, you know that
she is mine."
" My son is silent," said Tamenund, endeavouring to read the expression of the face that the
youth turned from him, in sorrow.
" It is so," was the low and brief reply.
-A short and impressive pause succeeded, during
which it was very apparent with what reluctance
the multitude admitted the justice of the Mingo's
claim. At length the sage, on whom alone the
decision depended, said, in a firm voice-:' Huron, depart. "
"As he came, just Tamenund," demanded the
wily Magua; "or with hands filled with the faith
of the Delawares? The wigwam  of le Renard
Subtil is empty. Make him strong with his own."
The aged man mused with himself for a time,
and then bending his head towards one of his
venerable companions, he asked" Are my ears open "
" It is true "
"Is this Mingo a chief?"
" The first in his nation.-''Girl, what wouldst thou! A great warrior
takes thee to wife. Go-thy race will not end."
"Better, a thousand times, it should," exclaimed
the horror-struck Cora, "than meet with such a
degradation!"
Huron, her mind is in the tents of her fathers.
An unwilling maiden makes an unhappy wigwam."
" She speaks with the tongue of her people,"




THE MOHICANS.              465
returned Magua, regarding his victim with a look
of bitter irony.  " She is of a race of traders, and
will bargain for a bright look. Let Tamenund
speak the words?"
" Take you the wampum, and our love."
"Nothing hence, but what Maglla brought
hither."
"Then depart with thine own. The Great Manitto forbids that a Delaware should be unjust."
Magua advanced, and seized his captive strongly
by the arm; the Delawares fell  back, in silence;
and Cora, as if conscious that remonstrance would
be useless, prepared to submit to her fate without
resistance.
" Hold, hold!" cried Duncan, springing forward: "Huron, have mercy! Her ransom  shall
make thee ricner than any of thy people were ever
yet known to be."
"Magua is a red-skin; he,ants not the beads
of the pale-faces."
" Gold, silver, powder, lead-all that a warrior
needs, shall be in thy wigwam; all that becomes
the greatest chief."
Le Subtil is very strong," cried Magua, violently shaking the hand which grasped the unresisting arm of Cora; "he has his revenge!"
"Mighty Ruler of providence!" exclaimed Heyward, clasping his hands together in agony, " can
this be suffered! To you, just Tamenund, I appeal
for mercy."
" The words of the Delaware are said," returned
the sage, closing his eyes, and dropping back into
his seat, alike wearied with his mental and his
bodily exertion.  "Men speak not twice."
"That a chief should not misspend his time,n
unsaying what has once been spoken, is wise and
reasonable," said Hawk-eye, motioning to Dcn.Q




466             THE I AST OF
can to be silent; "but it is also prudent in every
warrior to consider well before he strikes his
tomahawk into the head of his prisoner. Huron,
I love you not; nor can I say that any Mingo has
ever received much favour at my hands.  It is
fair to conclude, that, if this war does not soon
end, many more of your warriors will meet me in
the woods. Put it to your judgment, then, whether
you would prefer taking such a prisoner as thai
lady into your encampment, or one like myself,
who am a man that it would greatly rejoice your
nation to see with naked hands."
"Will the' long rifle' give his life for the woman?" demanded Magua, hesitatingly; for he had
already made a motion towards quitting the place
with his victim.
"No, no; I have not said so much as that," returned Hawk-eye, drawing back, with suitable
discretion, when he noted the eagerness with
which Magua listened to his proposal. " It would
be an unequal exchange, to give a warrior, in the
prime of his age and usefulness, for the best woman on the frontiers. I might consent to go into
winter quarters, now-at least six weeks afore the
leaves will turn-on condition you will release
the maiden."
Magua shook his head in cold disdain, and made
an impatient sign for the crowd to open.
" Well, then," added the scout, with the musing
ail of a man who had not half made up his mind,
" I will throw' kill-deer' into the bargain. Take
the word of an experienced hunter, the piece has
not its equal atween the provinces."
Magua still disdained to reply, continuing his
efforts to disnerse the crowd.
"Perhaps," added the scout, losing his dissembled coolness, exactly in proportion as the other




THE MOHICANS.              467
manifested an indifference to the exchange, "if I
should condition to teach your young men the
real virtue of the we'pon, it would smooth the little differences in our judgments."
Le Renard fiercely ordered the Delawares, who
still lingered in an impenetrable belt around him,
in hopes he would listen to the amicable proposal,
to open his path, threatening, by the glance of his
eye, another appeal to the infallible justice of their
prophet."
" What is ordered, must sooner or later arrive,"
continued Hawk-eye, turning with a sad and humbled look to Uncas. " The varlet knows his advantage, and will keep it! God bless you, boy;
you have found friends among your natural kin,
and I hope they will prove as true as some you
have met, who had no Indian cross. As for me,
sooner or later, I must die; it is therefore fortunate there are but few to make my death-howl!
After all, it is likely the imps would have managed to master my scalp, so a day or two will make
no great difference in the everlasting reckoning of
time.  God bless you," added the rugged woods
man, bending his head aside, with quivering mus
cles, and then instantly changing its direction
again, with a wistful look towards the youth; "I
loved both you and your father, Uncas, though
our skins are not altogether of a colour, and our
gifts are somewhat different. Tell the Sagamore
1 never lost sight of him in my greatest trouble;
and, as for you, think of me sometimes, when on
a lucky trail; and depend on it, boy, whether
there be one heaven or two, there is a path in the
other world, by which honest men may come together again. You'll find the rifle in the place
we hid it; take it, and keep it, for my sake; and
harkee, lad, as your natural gifts dont deny yoi




468              THE LAST OF
the use of vengeance, use it a little freely on the
Mingoes; it may Jnburthen your grief at my
loss, and ease your mind. Huron, I accept youi
offer; release the lady.  I am your prisoner."
A suppressed, but still distinct murmur of approbation, ran through the crowd at this generous
proposition; even the fiercest among the Delaware
warriors manifesting pleasure at the manliness of
the intended sacrifice   Magua paused, and for an
anxious moment, it might be said, he doubted:
then casting his eyes on Cora, with an expression
in which ferocity and admiration were strangely
mingled, his purpose became fixed for ever.
He intimated his conterpt of the offer, with a
backward motion of his head, and said, in a steady
and settled voice"Le Renard Subtil is a great chief; he has but
one mind.  Come," he added, laying his hand too
familiarly on the shoulder of his captive, to urge
her onward; "a Huron warrior is no tattler; we
will go."
The maiden drew back in lofty, womanly reserve, and her dark eye kindled, while the rich
blood shot, like the passing brightness of the sun,
into her very temples, at the indignity.
" 1 am your prisoner, and at a fitting time shall
be ready to follow, even to my death. But violence is unnecessary," she coldly said; and immediately turning to Hawk-eye, added, "generous hunter! from my soul I thank you.  Your
offer is vain, neither could it be accepted; but
still you may serve me, even more than in your
own noble intention.  Look at that drooping,
humbled child! Abandon her not until you leave
her in the habitations of civilized men.  I will
not say," wringing the hard hand of the scout,
that her father will reward you-for such as




THE MOHICAN&.             469
you are above thle rewards of men-but he will
thank you, and bless you. And, believe me, the
blessing of a just and aged man, has virtue in the
sight of Heaven.  Would to God,; I could hear
one fiom  his lips at this awful momenti"  Her
voice became choked, and for an instant she was
silent; then advancing a step nigher to Duncan,
who was supporting her unconscious sister, she
continued, in more subdued tones, but in which
her feelings, and the habits of her sex, maintained
a fearful struggle-" I need not tell you to cherish
the treasure you will possess. You love her,
Heyward; that would conceal a thousand faults,
though she had them.  She is as kind, as gentle,
as sweet, as good, as mortal may be. There is not
a blemish in mind or person, at which the proudest
of you all would sicken.  She is fair-Oh! how
surpassingly fair!" laying her own beautiful, but
less brilliant hand, in melancholy affection, on the
alabaster forehead of Alice, and parting the golden
hair which clustered about her brows;   and yet
her soul is as pure and spotless as her skin! I could
say much-more, perhaps, than cooler reason
would approve; but I will spare both you and myself-"  Her voice became inaudible, and her
face was bent over the form of her sister.  After
a long and burning kiss, she arose, and with features of the hue of death, but without even a tear
in her feverish eye, she turned away, and added,
to the savage, with all her former elevation of
manner-" Now, sir, if it be your pleasure, I will
follow."
"Ay, go," cried Duncan, placing Alice in the
arms of an Indian girl; "go, Magua, go. These
Delawares have their laws, which forbid them to
detain you; but I-I have no such obligation Go,
malignant monster —wlhy do you delay!'
2R




470    THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
It would be difficult to describe the expression
of features with which Mag:a listened to this
threat to follow. There was at first a fierce and
manifest display of joy, and then it was instantly
subdued in a look of cunning coldness.
"The woods are open," he was content with
a.lswering; "the'open hand' can fillow."
"Hold," cried Hawk-eye, seizing Duncan by,he arm, and detaining him by violence; "you
know not the craft of the imp.  He would lead
you to an ambushment, and your death-"'"Huron," interrupted Uncas, who, submissive
to the stern customs of his people, had been an attentive and grave listener to all that passed;
" Huron, the justice of the Delawares comes from
the Manitto.  Look at the sun.  He is now in
the upper branches of the hemlock. Your path is
short and open.  When he is seen above the trees,
there will be men on your trail."
"I hear a crow!" exclaimed Magua, with a
taunting laugh.  "Go," he added, shaking his
]land at the crowd, which had slowly opened to
admit his passage-" Where, are the petticoats of
the Delawares! Let them send their arrows and
their guns to the Wyandots; they shall have venison to eat, and corn to hue. Dogs, rabbits, thieves
-I spit on you!"
His parting gibes were listened to in a dead,
boding, silence; and, with these biting words in
his mouth, the triumphant Magua passed unmolested into the forest, followed by his passive cap.
tive, and protected by the inviolable laws of lhu
dian hospitality.




CHAPTER XXXI.
Flue. " Kill the poys and the luggage!'tis expressly against he
law of arms:'tis as arrant a piece of knavery, mark you now, as can
Oc offered in the'orld."           King Henry V.
So long as their enemy and his victim continu
ed in sight, the multitude remained, motionless
as beings charmed to the place by some power
that was friendly to the Huron; but the instant
he disappeared, it became tossed and agitated by
fierce and powerful passion.  Uncas maintained
his elevated stand, keeping his eyes on the form
of Cora, until the colours of her dress were blended with the foliage of the forest; when he descended, and moving silently through the throng,
he disappeared in that lodge, from which he had
so recently issued. A few of the graver and more
attentive warriors, who caught the gleams of
anger that shot from the eyes of the young chief,
in passing, followed him to the place he had selected for his meditations.  After which, Tamenund and Alice were removed, and the women
and children were ordered to disperse. During
the momentous hour that succeeded, the encampment resembled a hive of troubled bees, who only
awaited the appearance and example of their lealer, to take sonie distant and momentous flight.
A  young warrior, at length, issued from  the
lodge of Uncas, and moving deliberately, with a
sort of grave march, towards a dwarf pine, that
grew in the crevices of the rocky terrace, he tore
the bark from its body, and then returned whence
he came, without speaking. He was soon follow
ed by another, who stripped the sapling of its




472              THE LAST OF
branches, leaving it a naked and "blazed" trunk.
A third coloured the post with stripes of a dark
red paint; all which indications of a hostile design
in the leaders of the nation, were received by the
men without, in a gloomy and ominous silence,
Finally, the Mohican himself re-appeared, devested of all his attire, except his.girdle and leggings,
and with one half of his fine features hid under a
cloud of threatening black.
Uncas moved with a slow and dignified tread
towards the post, which he immediately com.
menced encircling with a measured step, not unlike an ancient dance, raising his voice, at the
same time, in the wild and irregular chant of his
war-song.  The notes were in the extremes of
human sounds; being sometimes melancholy and
exquisitely plaintive, even rivalling the melody
of birds-and then, by sudden and startling transitions, causing the auditors to tremble by their
depth and energy.  The words were few, and
often repeated, proceeding gradually from a sort
of invocation, or hymn, to the Deity, to an intimation of the warrior's object, and terminating as
they commenced, with an acknowledgment of
his own dependence on the Great Spirit.  If it
were possible to translate the comprehensive and
melodious language in which he spoke, the ode
might read something like the followingManitto! Manitto! Manitto:
Thou art great-thou art good-thou art wiseManitto! Manitto!
Thou art just!
In the heavens, in the clouds, Oh! I see 
Many spots-many dark-many redIn the heavens, Oh' I see!
Many clouds.




THE' MOHICANS.               473
In the woods, in the air, Oh! I hear!
The whoop, the long yell, and the cryIn the woods, Oh! I hear 
The loud whoop!
Manitto! Manitto! Manitto!
I am weak-thou art strong —I am slow —
Manitto! Manitto!
Give me aid.
At the end of what might be called each verse.
lie made a pause, by raising a note louder and
longer than common, that was peculiarly suited
to the sentiment just expressed.  The first close
was solemn, and intended to convey the idea of
veneration; the second descriptive, bordering on
the alarming; and the third was the well-known
and terrific war-whoop, which burst from the lips
of the young warrior, like a combination of all the
frightful sounds of battle.  The last was like the
first, humble, meek, and imploring. Three times
did he repeat this song, and as often did he encircle the post, in his dance.
At the close of the first turn, a grave and highly esteemed chief of the Lenape, followed his
example, singing words of his own, however, to
music of a similar character. Warrior after warrior enlisted in the dance, until all of any renown
and authority were to be numbered in its mazes.
The spectacle now  became wildly terrific; the
fierce looking and menacing visages of the chiefs
receiving additional power, from  the appalling
strains in which they mingled their guttural tones.
Just then, Uncas struck his tomahawk deep into
the post, and raised lhis voice in a shout, which
might be termed his own battle cry.  The act
announced that he had assumed the chief authority in the intended expedition.
It was a signal that awakened all the slumber2R2




474             THE LAST OF
ing passions of the nation. A hundred youths,
who had hitherto been restrained by the diffidence
of their years, rushed in a frantic body on the
fancied emblem of their enemy, and severed it
asunder, splinter by splinter, until nothing remained of the trunk but its roots in the earth.
During this moment of tumult, the most ruthless
deeds of war were perfornied on the fragments of
the tree, with as much apparent ferocity, as though
they were the actual living victims of their cruelty.
Some were scalped; some received the keen and
trembling axe; and others suffered by thrusts fiom
the fatal knife.  In short, the manifestations of
zeal and fierce delight were so great and unequivocal, that it was soon apparent the expedition
was unqualifiedly declared to be a war of the
nation.
The instant Uncas had struck the blow, he
moved out of the circle, and cast his eyes up at
the sun, which was just gaining the point, when
the truce with Magua was to end.  The fact was
soon announced by a significant gesture, accompanied by a corresponding cry, and the whole of
the excited multitude abandoned their mimic warfare, with shrill and loud yells of pleasure, to prepare for the more hazardous experiment of the
reality.
The whole face of the encampment was now in.
stantly changed. The warriors, who were already
a'med and painted, became as still, as if they were
incapable of any uncommon burst of emotion. On
the other hand, the women broke out of the lodges,
with the songs of joy and those of lamentation, so
strangely mingled, that it might have been difficult to have said which passion preponderated.
None, however, were idle. Some bore their choicest articles, others their young, and some their




THE MOHICANS.              475
aged and infirm, into the forest, which spread
itself like a verdant carpet of bright green, against
the side of the mountain.  Thither Tamenund
also retired, with calm  composure, after a short
and touching interview  with Uncas; from whom
the sage separated with the reluctance that a parent would quit a long lost, and just, recovered,
child.  In the mean time, Duncan saw Alice to a
place of safety, and then sought the scout, with
features that denoted how eagerly he, also, panted
for the approaching contest.
But Hawk-eye was too much accustomed to the
war-song and the enlistments of the natives, to betray any interest in the passing scene. He merely
cast an occasional look at the number and quality
of the warriors, who, from time to time, signified
their readiness to accompany Uncas to the field.
In this particular he was soon satisfied; for, as
has been already seen, the power of the young
chief quickly embraced every fighting man in the
nation. After this material point was so satisfactorily decided, he despatched an Indian boy, in
quest of" kill-deer" and the rifle of Uncas, to the
place, in the margin of the forest, where they had
deposited the weapons, on approaching the camp
of the Delawares-a measure of double policy,
inasmuch as it protected the arms from their own
fate, if detained as prisoners, and gave them the
advantage of appearing among the strangers rather
as sufferers, than as men provided with the means
of defence and subsistence. In selecting another
to perform the office of reclaiming his highly
prized lifle, the scout had lost sight of none of
his habitual caution. He knew that Magua had
not conie unattended, and he also knew that Huron
spies watched the movements of their new enemies,
along the whole boundary of the woods. It would.




476             THE LAST OF
therefore. have been fatal to himself to have at*
tempted the experiment; a warrior would have
fared no better; but the danger of a boy would
not be likely to commence until after his object
was discovered.  When Heyward joined him,
the scout was coolly awaiting the result of this
experiment.,
The boy, who had been.well instructed, and
was sufficiently crafty, proceeded, with a bosom
that was swelling with the pride of such a confidence, and all the hopes of young ambition, carelessly across the clearing to the wood, which he
entered at a point at some little distance from the
place where the guns were secreted. The instant,
however, he was concealed by the foliage of the
bushes, his dusky form  was to be seen gliding,
like that of a serpent, towards the desired treasure. IHe was successful; and in another moment
he appeared, flying across the narrow opening that
skirted the base of the terrace on which the village stood, with the velocity of an arrow, and
bearing one of his prizes in each hand. He had
actually gained the crags, and was leaping up their
siles with incredible activity, when a shot from
the woods showed how accurate had been the
judgment of the scout. The boy answered it with
a feeble, but contemptuous shout, and immediately
a second bullet was sent after him, from another
part of the cover. At the.next instant he appeared on the level above, elevating his guns in triumph, while he moved, with the air of a conqueror, towards the renowned hunter, who had
honoured him by so glorious a commission.
Notwitnstanding the lively interest Hawk-eye
had taken in the fate of his messenger, he received
"ckill deer" with a satisfaction that, momentarily
provealllother recollections from his mind. After




TIT, MOHICA.S.            477
examining the piece with a keen and- intelligent
eye, and opening and shutting the pan some ten
or fifteen times, and trying sundry other equally
important experiments or the lock, he turned to
the boy, and demanded, with great manifestations
of kindness, if he was hi t. The urchin looked
proudly up in his face, but made no reply.
"Ay! I see, lad, the knaves have barked your
arm!" added the scout, taking up the limb of the
patient sufferer, across which a deep flesh wound
lad been made by one of the bullets; "but a little
bruised alder will act like a charm. In the mean
time, I will wrap it in a badge of wampum! You
nave commenced the business of a warrior early,
my orave boy, and are likely to bear a plenty of
honourable scars to your grave.  I know many
young men that have taken scalps, who cannot
show such a mark as this! Go;" having bound up
the arm; "you will be a chief!"
The lad departed, prouder of his flowing blood
than the vainest courtier could be of his blushing
riband; and stalked among the fellows of his age,
an object of general admiration and envy.
But in a moment of so many serious and important duties, this single act of juvenile fortitude
did not attract the general notice and commendation it would have received under milder auspices.
It had, however, served to apprise the Delawares
of the position and the intentions of their enemies. Accordingly, a party of adventurers, better suited to the task than the weak, though spirited boy, were ordered to dislodge the skulkers.
The duty was soon performed, for most of the
Hurons retired of themselves, when they found
they had been discovered.  The Delawares fol.
lowed to a sufficient distance from  their own encampmenrt, and then' halted for orders, apprehen



478              THE LAST OF
sive of being led into an ambush. As both partics secreted themselves, the woods were again as
still and quiet, as a mild summer morning and
deep solitude could render them.
The calm, but still impatient Uncas now collected his chiefs, and divided his power. He presented Hawk-eye as a warrior, often tried, and always found deserving of confidence. When he
found his friend met with a favourable reception,
he bestowed on him the command of twenty men,
like himself, active, skilful, and resolute.  He
gave the Delawares to understand the rank of
Heyward among the troops of the Yengeese, and
then tendered to him a trust of equal authority.
But Duncan declined the charge, professing his
readiness to serve as a volunteer by the side of
the scout. After this disposition, the young Mohican appointed various native chiefs to fill the different situations of responsibility, and the time
nowr pressing, he gave forth the word to march.
He was cheerfully, but silently, obeyed, by more
than two hundred men.
Their entrance into the forest was perfectly un
molested; nor did they encounter any living objects, that could either give the alarm, or furnish
the intelligence they needed, until they came upon_
the lairs of their own scouts. A halt was then ordered, and the chiefs were assembled in front to
hold a "whispering council."  At this meeting,
divers plans of operation were suggested, though
none of a character to meet the wishes of their ardent leader. Had Uncas followed the promptings
of his own inclinations, he would have led his followers to the charge without a moment's delay,
and put the conflict to the hazard of an instant issue; but such a course would have been in opposition to all the received practices and opinions of




THE MOHICANS.              479
his countrymen. He was, therefore, fain to adopt
a caution, that, in the present temper of his mind,
he execrated, and to listen to advice at which his
fiery spirit chafed, under the vivid recollection of
Cora's danger, and Magua's insolence.
After an unsatisfactory conference of many mi
nutes, a solitary individual was seen advancing
from  the side of the enemy, with such apparent
haste, as to induce the belief, he might be a, messenger charged with some pacific overtures. When
within a hundred yards, however, of the cover,
behind which the Delaware council had assembled,
the stranger hesitated, appeared uncertain what
course to take, and finally halted. All eyes were
now turned on Uncas, as if seeking directions how
to proceed.
"Hawk-eyc," said the young chief, in a low
voice, " he must never speak to the Hurons again."
" His time has come," said the laconic scout.
thrusting the long barrel of his rifle through the
leaves, and taking his deliberate and fatal aim.
But, instead of pulling the trigger, he lowered the
muzzle again, and indulged himself in a fit of his
peculiar mirth.  "I took the imp for a Mingo, as
I'm a miserable sinner!" he said; "but when my
eye ranged along his ribs, for a place to get the
bullet in-would you think it, Uncas-I saw the
musicianer's blower! and so, after all, it is the man
they call Gamut, whose death can profit no one,
and whose life, if his tongue can do any thing but
sing, may be made serviceable to our own ends.
If sounds have not lost their virtue, I'll soon have
a discourse with the honest fellow, and that in a
voice he'll find more agreeable than the speech of'kill-deer.' "
So saying, Hawk-eye laid aside his rifle, and




480              THE LAST OF'
crawling through the bushes, -ntil within hearing
of David, he attempted to repeat the musical effort,
which had conducted  himself, with  so much
safety and eclat, through the Huron encampment.
The exquisite organs of Gamut could not readily
be deceived, (and, to say the truth, it would have
been difficult for any other than Hawk-eye to produce a similar noise,) and, consequently, having
once before heard the sounds, he now  knew
whence they proceeded. The poor fellow appeared instantly relieved from a state of great embarrassment; for, immediately pursuing the direction of the voice-a task that to him was not much
less arduous, than it would have been to have
gone up in face of a battery-he soon discovered
the hidden songster, who produced such melodious
strains.
I wonder what the Hurons will think of that!"
said the scout, laughing, as he took his companion
by the arm, and urged him  swiftly towards the
rear.'If the knaves lie within ear-shot, they
will say there are two non-compossurs, instead of
one! But here we are safe," he added, pointing to
Uncas and his associates.  " Now give us the history of the Mingo inventions, in natural English,
and without any ups-and-downs of voice."
David gazed about him, at the fierce and wild
looking chiefs, in mute wonder; but assured by
the presence of faces that he knew, he soon rallied his faculties so far, as to make an intelligent
reply.
The heathen are abroad in goodly numbers,"
said David; "and, as I fear, with evil intent.
There has been much howling and ungodly revelry, together with such sounds as it is profanity
to utter, in their habitations within the past hour




TIBE MOHICANS.             481
so much so, in truth, that I hawe fled to the Dela.
weres in search ofpeace."
"Your ears might not have profited much by
the exchange, had you been quicker of foot," returned the scout, a little crily.  " But let that be
as it may; where are the Hurons?"
"They lie hid in the forest, between this spo
and their village, in such force, that prudence
would teach you instantly to return."
Uncas cast a proud glance along the range of
trees which concealed his oiwnA band, and then
mentioned the name of"Magua?" —
"Is among them.  He brought in the maiden
that had sojourned with the Delawares, and leaving her in the cave, has put himself, like a raging
wolf, at the head of his savages. I know not what
has troubled his spirit so greatly!"
"He has left her, you say, in the cave!" interrupted Heyward; "'tis well that we know  its
situation! May not something be done for her instant relief?"
Uncas looked earnestly at the scout, before he
asked"What says Hawk-eye?"' Give me my twenty rifles, and I will turn to
the right, along the stream, and passing by the
huts of the beaver, will join the Sagamore and the
Colonel.  You shall then hear the whoop from
that quarter; with this wind one may easily send
it a mile. Then, Uncas, do you drive in their
front; when they come within range of our pieces,
we will give them a blow, that I pledge the good
name of an old frontiersman, shall make their line
bend, like an ashen bow. After which, we will
carry their village, and take the woman from the
cave; when the affair may be finished with the
28




482              THE LAST OF
tribe, according to s white man's battle, by a blow
and a victory; or, in the Indian fashion, with dodge
and cover. There may be no great learning, major,
in this plan, but with courage and patience it can
all be done."
"I like it much," cried Duncan, who saw that
the release of Cora was the primary object in the
mind of the scout; " I like it much. Let it then
be instantly attempted."
After a short conference, the plan was matured,
and rendered more intelligible to the several parties; the different signals were appointed, and the
chiefs separated, each to his allotted station.
CHAPTER XXXII.
But plagues shall spread, and funeral fires increase,
Till the great King, without a ransom paid,
To her own Chrysa, send the black-eyed maid."-Pope.
DURING the time Uncas was making this disposition of his forces, the woods were as still, and,
with the exception of those who had met in council, apparently, as much untenanted, as when they
came fresh from  the hands of their Almighty
Creator.  The eye could range, in every direction, through the long and shadowed vistas of the
trees; but no where was any object to be seen,
that did not properly belong to the peaceful and
slumbering scenery.  Here and there a bird was
heard fluttering among the branches of the beeches,
and occasionally a squirrel dropped a nut, drawing the startled looks of the party, for a moment,




THE MOHICANS.              483
to the piace; but the instant the casual interruption ceased. the passing air was heard murmuring
above their heads, along that verdant and undulating surface of forest, which spread itself unbroken,
anless by stream or lake, over such a vast region
of country. Across the tract of wilderness, which
lay between the Delawares and the village of their
enemies, it seemed as if the foot of man had never
trodden, so breathing and deep was the silence in
which it lay. But Hawk-eye, whose duty now
led him  foremost in the adventure, knew the
character of those with whom  he was about to
contend too well, to trust the treacherous quiet
When he saw his little band again collected, the
scout threw  " kill-deer" into the hollow of his
arm, and making a silent signal that he would be
followed, he led them  many rods towards the
rear, into the bed of a little brook, which they
had crossed in advancing. Here he halted, and
after waiting for the whole of his grave and atten
tive warriors to close about him, he spoke in Delaware, demanding" Do any of my young men know whither this
run will lead us?"
A Delaware stretched forth a hand, with the
two fingers separated, and indicating the manner
in which they were joined at the root, he answered"Before the sun could go his own length, tie
little water will be in the big." Then he added,
pointing in the direction of the place he mentioned,' the two make enough for the beavers."
" I thought as much," returned the scout, glancing his eye upward at the opening in the treetops, " from the course it takes, and the bearings
of the mountains. Mlen, we will keep within the
cover of its banks till we scent the Hurons."




~484            THE LAST OF
His companions gave the usual brief exclamation of assent, but perceiving that their leader was
about to lead the way, in person, one or two made
signs that all was not as it should be. IHawk-eye,
who comprehended their meaning glances, turned,
and perceived that his party had been followed
thus far by the singing-master.
"Do you know, friend," asked the scout, gravely, and perhaps with a little of the pride of conscious deserving in his manner, "that this is a
band of rangers, chosen for the most desperate
service, and put under the command of one, who,
though another might say it with a better face,
will not be apt to leave them idle? It may not be
five, it cannot be thirty, minutes before we tread
on the body of a Iuron, living or dead."
" Though not admonished of your intentions in
words," returned David, whose face was a little
flushed, and whose ordinarily quiet and unmeaning eyes glimmered with an expression of unusual
fire, "your men have reminded me of the children of Jacob going out to battle against the Shechemites, for wickedly aspiring to wedlock with
a woman of a race that was favoured of the Lord.
Now, I have journeyed far, and sojourned much,
in good and evil, with the maiden ye seek; and,
though not a man of war, with my loins girded
and my sword sharpened, yet would I gladly
strike a blow in her behalf."
The scout hesitated, as if weighing the chances
of such a strange enlistment in his mind, before
tie answered"You know not the use of any we'pon.  You
carry no rifle; and, believe me, what the Mingoes
take, they will freely give again."
"Though not a vaunting and bloodily disposed
Goliah," returned David, drawing a sling from




THE MOHICANS.              485
beneath his parti-coloured andc uncouth attire, "I
have not forgotten the example of the Jewish
boy.  With this ancient instrument of war have
I practised much in my youth, and peradventure
the skill has not entirely departed from me."
"Ay!" said Hawk-eye, considering the deerskin thong and apron, with a cold and discouraging eye; "the thing might do its work among
arrows, or even knives; but these Mengwe have
been furnished by the Frenchers with a good
grooved barrel a man.  However, it seems to be
your gift to go unharmed amid a fire; and as you
have hitherto been favoured -Major, you have
left your rifle at a cock; a single shot before the
time, would be just twenty scalps lost to no purpose-Singer, you can follow; we may find use
for you in the shoutings."" I thank you, friend," returned David, supply
ing himself, like his royal namesake, from among
the pebbles of the brook, "though not given to
the desire to kill, had you sent me away, my spirit would have been troubled."' Remember," added the scout, tapping his own
head significantly on that spot where Gamut was
yet sore, " we come to fight, and not to musickate.
Until the general whoop is given, nothing speaks
but the rifle."
David nodded, as much as to signify his acquiescence with the terms, and then Hawk-eye, casting another observant glance over his followers,
made the signal to proceed.
Their route lay, for the distance of a mile, along
the bed of the water course.  Though protected
fr6m any great danger of observation by the precipitous banks, and the thick shrubbery which
skirted the stream, for the whole distance, no pre
e.ittiol, known to an Indian attackl was neglect
R 2




48               THE LAST OF
ed.  A  warrior rather crawled than walked on
each flank, so as to catch occasional glimpses into
the forest; and every few minutes the band came
to a halt, and listened for hostile sounds, with an
acuteness of organs, that would be scarcely con.
ceivable to a man in a less natural state.  Their
march was, however, unmolested, and they reached the point where the lesser stream was lostjn
the greater, without the smallest evidence that
their progress had been noted.  Here the scout
again halted, to consult the signs of the forest.
" W'e are likely to have a good day for a fight,"
he said, in English, addressing Heyward, and
glancing his eye upwards at the clouds, which
began to move in broad sheets across the firmament.; " a bright sun and a glittering barrel are no
friends to true sight.  Every thing is favourable;
they have the wind, which will bring down their
noises and their smoke too, no little matter in
itself; whereas, with us, it will be first a.hot, and
then a clear view.  But here is an end of our
cover; the beaver have had the range of this
stream for hundreds of years, and what atween
their food and their dams, there is, as you see,
many a girdled stub, but few living trees."
Hawk-eye had, in truth, in these few words,
given no bad description of the prospect that now
lay in their front. The brook was irregular in its
width, sometimes shooting through narrow fissures
in the rocks, and at others. spreading over acres
of bottom land, forming little areas, that might be
termed ponds.  Every  where along its banks
were the mouldering relics of dead trees, in all
tile stages of decay, from those that groaned on
their tottering trunks, to such as had recently
been robbed of those rugged coats, that so mysteriously contain their principle of life. A few




THE MOHICANS.               487
long, low, and moss covered piles, were scattered
among them, like the memorials of a former and
long departed generation.
All these minute particulars were now noted by
the scout, with a gravity and interest that they
probably had never before attracted. He knew
that the Huron encampment lay a short half mile
up the brook, and, with the characteristic anxiety
of one whc dreaded a hidden danger, lie was greatly troubled at not finding the smallest trace of the
presence of his enemy.  Once or twice he felt
induced to give the order for a rush, and to attempt the village by surprise; but his experience
quickly admonished him of the danger of so useless an experiment.  Then he listened intently,
and with painful uncertainty, for the sounds of
hostility in the quarter where Uncas was left; but
nothing was audible except the sighing of the
wind, that began to sweep over the bosom of the
forest in gusts, which threatened a tempest.  At
length, yielding rather to his unusual impatience,
than taking counsel from his knowledge, he determined to bring matters to an issue, by unmasking
his force, and proceeding cautiously, but steadily,
up the stream.
The scout had stood, while making his observations, sheltered by a brake, and his companions
still lay in the bed of the ravine, through which
the smaller stream debouched; but on hearing his
low, though intelligible signal, the whole party
stole up the bank, like so many dark spectres,
and silently arranged themselves around him.
Pointing in the direction he wished to proceed,
Hawk-eye advanced, the band breaking off int
single files, and following so accurately in his
footsteps, as to leave, if we except Heyward and
David, the trail of but a single man.




488             THE LAST OF
The party was, however, scarcely uncoveredl
before a volley from a dozen rifles was heard in
their rear, and a Delaware leaping high into the
air, like a wounded deer, fell at his whole length,
perfectly dead.
"Ah! I feared some deviltry like this!" exclaimed the scout, in English; adding, with the
quickness of thought, in his adopted tongue, "to
cover, men, and charge!"
The band dispersed at the word, and before
Heyward had well recovered from his surprise,
he found himself standing alone with David.
Luckily, the Hurons had already fallen back, and
he was safe from their fire. But this state of things
was evidently to be of short continuance, for the
scout set the example of pressing on their retreat,
by discharging his rifle, and darting from tree to
tree, as his enemy slowly yielded ground.
It would seem that the assault had been made by
a very small party of the Hurons, which, however,
continued to_ increase in numbers, as it retired on
its friends, until the return fire was very nearly,
if not quite, qual to that maintained by the advancing Delawares.  Heyward  threw  himself
among the combatants, and imitating the necessary caution of his companions, he supported
quick discharges with his own rifle. The contest
now grew warm  and stationary.  FeW were injured, as both parties, kept their bodies as much
protected as possible by the trees; never, indeed,
exposing any part of their persons, except in the
act of taking aim But the chances were gradually
growing unfavourable to Hawk-eye and his band.
The quick sighted scout perceived all his danger,
without knowing how to remedy it.  He saw it
was more dangerous to retreat than to maintain
his ground; while he found his enemy throwing




THE MOHICANS.              489
out men on his flank, which rendered the task of
keeping themselves covered so very difficult to
the Delawares, as nearly to silence their fire. At
this embarrassing moment, when they began to
think the whole of the hostile tribe was gradually
encircling them, to their destruction, they heard
the yell of combatants, and the rattling of arms
echoing under the arches of the wood, at the place
where Uncas was posted; a bottom which, in a
manner, lay beneath the ground on which Hawk
eye and his party were contending.
The effects of this attack were instantaneous,
and to the scout and his friends greatly relieving.
It would seem, that, while his own surprise had
been anticipated, and had consequently failed, the
enemy, in their turn, having been deceived in its
object and in his numbers, had left too small a force
to resist the impetuous onset of the young Mohican. This fact was doubly apparent, by the rapid
manner in which the battle in the forest rolled upward towards the village, and by an instant falling
off in the number of their assailants, who rushed to
assist in maintaining their front, and, as it now
proved to be, their principal point of defence.
Animating his followers by his voice, and his
own example, Hawk-eye then gave the word to
bear down upon their foes. The charge, in that
rude species of warfare, consisted merely in pushing from cover to cover, nigher to the enemy;
and in this manoeuvre he was instantly and successfully obeyed.  The Hurons were compelled
to withdraw, and the scene of the contest rapidly
changed from the more open ground on which it
had commenced, to a spot where the assailed found
a thicket to rest upon.  Here the struggle was
protracted, arduous, and, seemingly, of doubtful
issue-the Delawares, though none of them fell,




490              THE LAST OF
heginning to bleed freely, in consequence of the
disadvantage at which they were held.
In this crisis, Hfawk-eye found means to get behind the same tree as that which served for a
cover to Heyward; most of his own combatants
being within call, a little on his right, where they
maintained rapid, though fruitless, discharges on
their sheltered enemies.
" You are a young man, major," said the scout,
dropping the butt of'kill-deer' to the earth, and
leaning on the barrel, a little fatigued with his previous industry; "and it may be your gift to lead
armies, at some future day, ag'in these imps, the
Mingoes.  You may here see the philosophy of
an Indian fight.  It consists, mainly, in a ready
hand, a quick eye, and a good cover. Now, if
you had a company of the Royal Americans here,
in what manner would you set them to work in
this business?"
" The bayonet would make a road."
-'"Ay, there is white reason in what you say;
Lut a man must ask himself, in this wilderness,
how many lives he can spare.  No-horse," continued the scout, shaking his head, like one who
mused; " horse, I am ashamed to say, must, sooner
or later, decide these skrimmages. The brutes are
better than men, and to horse must we come at
last! Put a shodden hoof on the moccasin of a
red-skin, and if his rifle be once emptied, he will
never stop to load it again."
" This is a subject that might better he discussed
another time," returned Heyward; "shall we
charge?"
"I see no contradiction to the gifts of any man,
in passing his breathing spells in useful refleclions," the scout mildly replied.  "As to a rush,
[ little relish such a measure, for a scalp or two




THE MOHICANS.               491
must be thrown away in the attempt.  And yet,"
he added, bending his head aside, to catch the
sounds of the distant combat, " if we are to be of
use to Uncas, these knaves in our front must be
how gotten rid of!"
Then turning, with a prompt and decided air,
from Duncan, lie called aloud to his.ndians, in
tneir own language. His words were answered
by a shout, and, at a given signal, each warrior
made a swift movement around his particular tree.
The sight of so many dark bodies, glancing before
their eyes at the same instant, drew a hasty, and,
consequently, an ineffectual fire from the Hurons.
Then, without stopping to breathe, the Delawares
leaped, in long bounds, towards the wood, like so
many panthers springing upon their prey. Hawkeye was in front, brandishing his terrible rifle,
and animating his followers by his example. A
few of the older and more cunning Hurons, who
had not been deceived by the artifice which had
been practised to draw their fire, now made a
close and deadly discharge of their pieces, and
justified the apprehensions of the scout, by felling
three of his foremost warriors.  But the shock
was insufficient to repel the impetus of the charge.
The Delawares broke into the cover, with the ferocity of their natures, and swept away every
trace of resistance by the fury of the onset.
The combat eldured only for an instant, hand
to hand, and then the assailed yielded ground
rapidly, until they reached the opposite margin
of the thicket, where they clung to their cover,
with the sort of obstinacy that is so often witness.
ed in hunted brutes. At this critical moment,
when the success of the struggle was again becom
mng doubtful, the crack of a rifle was heard behind
the Hurons, and a bullet came whizzing frorn




492             THE LAST OF
among sonme beaver lodges, which were situated
n the clearing, it. their rear, and was followed by
the fierce and appalling yell of the war-whoop.
" There speaks the Sagamore!" shouted Hawkeye, answering the cry with his own stentorian
v' ice;' we have them now in face and back!"
The effect on tln Hurons was instantaneous.
Discouraged by so unexpected an assault, from a
quarter that left them no opportunity for cover.
their warriors uttered a common yell of disappointment and despair, and breaking off in a body,
they spread themselves across the opening, heedless of every other consideration but flight. Many
fell, in making the experiment, under the bullets
and the blows of the pursuing Delawares.
We shall not pause to detail the meeting be
tween the scout and Chingachgook, or the more
touching interview  that Duncan held with the
anxious father of his mistress.  A  few brief and
hurried words served to explain the state of things
to both parties; and then Hawk-eye, pointing out
the Sagamore to his band, resigned the chief
authority into the hands of the Mohican chief.
Chingachgook assumed the station to which his
birth and experience gave him so distinguished a
claim, with the grave dignity that always gives
force to the mandates of a native warrior.  Following the footsteps of the scout, he led the party
back through the thicket, his rnen scalping the
fallen Hurons, and secreting the bodies of their
own dead as they proceeded, until they gained a
point where the former was content to make a
halt.
The warriors who had breathed themselves so
freely in the preceding struggle, were now posted
on a bit of level ground, sprinkled with trees, in
suffiaient numbers to conceal them. The land felt




THE MOHICANS.              493
off rather precipitously in front, and beneath their
eyes stretched, for several miles, a narrow, dark
and wooded vale. It was through this dense and
dark orest, that Uncas was still contending with
the main body of the Hurons.
The Mohican and his friends advanced to the
brow of the hill, and listened, with practised ears,
to the sounds of the combat. A few birds hovered
over the leafy bosom of the valley, as if frightened
from their secluded nests, and here and there a
light vapoury cloud, which seemed already blending with the atmosphere, arose above the trees,
and indicated some spot where the struggle had
been more fierce and stationary than usual.
"The fight is coming up the ascent," said Duncan, pointing in the direction of a new explosion
of fire-arms; " we are too much in the centre ot
their line to be effective."
"They will incline into the hollow, where the
cover is thicker," said the scout, "and that will
leave us well on their flank. Go, Sagamore; you
will hardly be in time to give the whoop, and lead
on the young men.  I will fight this skrimmage.with warriors of my own colour! You know me,
Mohican; not a Huron of them all shall cross the
swell, into your rear, without the notice of'killdeer.' 
The Indian chief paused another moment to
consider the signs of the contest, which was now
rolling rapidly up the ascent, a certain evidence
that the Delawares triumphed; nor did he actually
quit the place, until admonished of the proximity
of his friends, as well as enemies, by the bullets
of the former, which began to patter among the
dried leaves on the ground, like the bits of falling
hail which precede the bursting of the tempest.
Hawk-eye and his three companions withdrew a
2T




494             THE LAST OF
few paces to a sheltered spot, and awaited the
issue with that sort of calmness that nothing but
great practice could impart, in such a scene.
It was not long before the reports of the rifles
began to lose the echoes of the woods, and to
sound like weapons discharged in the open air
Then a warrior appeared, here and there, driven
to the skirts of the forest, and rallying as he entered the clearing, as at the place where the final
stand was to be made.  These were soon joined
oy others, until a long line of swarthy figures was
to be seen clinging to the cover, with the obstinacy of desperation. Heyward began to grow impatient, and turned his eyes anxiously in the
direction of Chingachgook. The chief was seated
on a rock, with nothing visible but his calm visage,
considering the spectacle with an eye as deliberate, as if he were posted there merely to view
the struggle.
" The time is come for the Delaware to strike!"
said Duncan.
"Not so, not so," returned the scout;" when
he scents his friends, he will let them know thai
he is here.  See, see; the knaves are getting in.
that clump of pines, like bees settling after their
flight. By the Lord, a squaw might put a bullet
in such a knot of dark-skins!"
At that instant the whoop was given, and a
dozen Hurons fell by a discharge from Chingachgook and his band. The shout that followed, was
answered by a single war-cry from the forest, and
then a yell passed through the air, that sounded
as though a thousand throats were united in a
common effort. The Hurons staggered, deserting
the centre of their line, and Uncas issued, through
the opening they left, from the forest, ot the head
of a hundred warriors




THE MOHICANS.              495
Waving hi hhands right and left, the young
chief pointed out the enemy to his followers, who
instantly separated in the pursuit. The war now
divided, both wings of the broken Hurons seeking
protection in the woods again, hotly pressed by
the victorious warriors of the Lenape. A minute
might have passed, but the sounds were already
receding in different directions, and gradually losing their distinctness beneath the echoing arches
of the woods. One little knot of Hurons, however, had disdained to seek a cover, and were
retiring, like lions at bay, slowly and sullenly up
the acclivity, which Chingachgook and his band
had just deserted to mingle, more closely, in the
fray. Magua was conspicuous in this party, both
by his fierce and savage mien, and by the air ot
haughty authority he yet maintained.
In his eagerness to expedite the pursuit, Uncas
had left himself nearly alone; but the moment his
eye caught the figure of le Subtil, every other
consideration was forgotten. Raising his cry of
battle, which recalled some six or seven warriors,
and reckless of the disparity in their numbers, he
rushed upon his enemy.  Le Renard, who watched the movement, paused to receive him with secret joy.  But at the moment when he thought
the rashness of his impetuous young assailant had
left him at his mercy, another shout was given,
and la Longue Carabine was seen rushing to the
rescue, attended by all his white associates. The
Huron instantly turned, and commenced a rapid
retreat up the ascent.
There was no time for greetings or congratulations; for Uncas, though unconscious of the presence of his friends, continued the pursuit with the
velocity of the wind.  In vain Hawk-eye called
to him to respect the covers; the young Mohican




496             THE LAST OF
braved the dangerous fire of his enemles, and stoon
compelled them to a flight as swift as his own
headlong speed.  It was fortunate that the race
was of short continuance, and that the white men
were much favoured both in the distance and the
ground, by their position, or the Delaware would
soon hav;e outstripped all his companions, and fallen a victim to his own temerity.  But ere such a
calamity could happen, the pursuers and pursued
entered the Wyandot village, within striking distance of each other.
Excited by the presence of their dwellings, and
tired of the chase, the Hurons now made a stand,
and fought around their council lodge with the
desperation of despair. The onset and the issue
were like the passage and destruction of a whirlwind. The tomahawk of Uncas, the blows of
Hawk-eye, and, even, the still nervous arm  of
Munro, were all busy for that passing moment,
and the ground was quickly strewed with their
enemies. Still Magua, though daring and much
exposed, escaped from every effort against his life,
with that sort of fabled protection, that was made
to overlook the fortunes of favoured heroes in the
legends of ancient poetry. Raising a yell that
spoke volumes of anger and disappointment, the
subtle chief, when he saw his comrades fallen,
darted away from the place, attended by his'two
only surviving fiiends, leaving the Delawares
engaged in stripping the dead of the bloody trophies of their victory.
But Uncas, who had vainly sought him in the
imle, bounded forward in pursuit; Hawk-eye,
Heyward, and David still pressing on his footsteps. The utmost that the scout could effect, was
to keep the muzzle of his rifle a little in advance
of his friend, to whom, however, it answered every




THE MOHICANS.              497
p)urpose of a charmed shield.  Once Magua appeared disposed to make another and a final effort
to revenge his losses; but abandoning his intentions so soon as demonstrated, lhe leaped into a
thicket of bushes, through which he was followed
by his enemies, and suddenly entered the mouth
of the cave already known to the reader. Hawkeye, who had only forborne to fire in tenderness
to Uncas, raised a shout of success, and proclaimed aloud, that now they were certain of their
game.  The pursuers dashed into the long and
narrow entrance, in time to catch a glimpse of the
retreating forms of the Hurons. Their passage
through the natural galleries and subterraneous
apartments of the cavern was preceded by the
shrieks and cries of hundreds of women and children. The place, seen by its dim and uncertain
light, appeared like the shades of the infernal regions, across which unhappy ghosts and savage
demons were flitting in multitudes.
Still Uncas kept his eye on Magua, as if life to
him possessed but a single object. Heyward and
the scout still pressed on his rear, actuated, though,
possibly, in a less degree, by a common feeling.
But their way was becoming intricate, in those
dark and gloomy passages, and the glimpses of the
retiring warriors less distinct and frequent; and
for a moment the trace was believed to be lost,
when a white robe was seen fluttering in the farther extremity of a passage that seemed to lead Ip
the mountain.
"'Tis Cora!" exclaimed Heyward, in a voice
in which horror and delight were wildly mingled.
"Cora! Cora!" echoed Uncas, bounding folward like a deer.
" Tis the maiden!" shouted the scout. " Cou
rage. lady; we come — we come."
2T2




498              THE LAST OF
The chase was renewed with a diligence ren.
dered tenfold encouraging, by this glimpse of the
captive.  But the way was now rugged, broken,
and, in spots, nearly impassable.  Uncas abandoned his rifle, and leaped forward with headlong precipitation.  Heyward rashly imitated his example, though both were, a moment afterwards, admonished of its madness, by hearing the bellowing of a piece, that the Hurons found time to discharge down the passage in the rocks, the bullet
from which even gave the young Mohican a slight
wound.
" We must close!" said the scout, passing his
friends by a desperate leap; " the knaves will pick
us all off at this distance; and see; they hold the
maiden so as to shield themselves!"
Though his words were unheeded, or rather unheard, his example was followed by his companions, who, by incredible exertions, got near
enough to the fugitives to perceive that Cora was
borne along between the two warriors, while
Magua prescribed the direction and manner of
their flight. At this moment, the forms of all four
were strongly drawn against an opening in the
sky, and then they disappeared. Nearly frantic
with disappointment, Uncas and Heyward increased efforts that already seemed superhuman,
and they issued from the cavern on the side of the
mountain, in time to note the route of the pursued.  The course lay up the ascent, and still continted hazardous and laborious.
Encumbered by his rifle, and, perhaps, not sustained by so deep an interest in the captive as his
companions, the scout suffered the latter to pre..eede him a little; Uncas, in his turn, taking the
lead of Heyward.  In this manner, rocks, precipices, and difficulties; were surmounted, in an




THE MOHICANS.              499
incredibly short space, that at another time, and
under other circumstances, would have been deemed almost insuperable. But the impetuous young
men were rewarded, by finding, that, encumbeied
with Cora, the Hurons were rapidly losing ground
in the race.
" Stay, dog of the Wyandots!" exclaimed Un
cas, shaking his bright tomahawk at Magua; "a
Delaware girl calls stay!"
"I will go no farther," cried Cora, stopping
unexpectedly on a ledge of rocks, that overhung
a deep precipice, at no great distance from the
summit of the mountain.  "K ill me if thou wilt
detestable Huron, I will go no farther!"
The supporters of the maiden raised their ready tomahawks with the impious joy that fiends
are thought to take in mischief, but Magua suddenly stayed their uplifted arms. The Huron
chief, after casting the weapons he had wrested
from his companions over the rock, drew his
knife, and turned to his captive, with a look in
which conflicting passions fiercely contended.
"Woman," he said, "choose; the wigwam or
the knife of le Subtil!"
Cora regarded him not; but dropping on her
knees, with a rich glow suffusing itself over her
features, she raised her eyes and stretched her
arms towards Heaven, saying, in a meek and yet
confiding voice" I am thine! do with me as thou seest best!"
"Woman" repeated Magua, hoarsely, and endeavpuring in vain to catch a glance from her
serene and beaming eye, "choose."
But Cora neither heard nor.heeded his demand.
The form of the Huron trembled in every fibre,
and he raised his arm  on high, but dropped it,gain, with a wild and bewildered air, like one




500              THE LAST OF
who doubted. Once more he struggled with him.
self, and lifted the keen weapon again-but just
then a piercing cry was heard above them, and
Uncas appeared, leaping frantically, from a fearful height, upon the ledge. Magua recoiled a step,
and one of his assistants, profiting by the chance,
sheathed his own knife in the bosom of the mailen.
The Huron sprang like a tiger on his offending
and already retreating countrymen, but the falling form of Uncas separated the unnatural combatants. Diverted from his object by this interruption, and maddened by the murder he had
just witnessed, Magua buried his weapon in the
back of the prostrate Delaware, uttering an unearthly shout, as he committed the dastardly deed
But Uncas arose from the blow, as the wounded
panther turns upon his foe, and struck the murderer of Cora to his feet, by an effort, in which
the last of his failing strength was expended.
Then, with a stern and steady look, he'turned to
le Subtil, and indicated, by the expression of his
eye, all that he would do, had not the power deserted him.  The latter seized the nerveless arm
of the unresisting Delaware, and passed his knife
into his bosom three several times, before his vie
tim, still keeping his gaze rivetted on his enemy
with a look of inextinguishable scorn, fell dead at
his feet.
" Mercy! mercy! Huron," cried  Heyward,
from  above, in tones nearly choked by horror;
"give mercy, and thou shalt receive it!"
Whirling the bloody knife up at the imploring
youth, the victorious Magua uttered a cry, so
fierce, so wild, and yet so joyous, that it conveyed the sounds of savage triumph to the ears of
those who fought:n the valley, a thousand feet




THE MOHICANS.                501
below.  IHe was answered by an appalling burst
from the lips of the scout, whose tall person was
just then seen moving swiftly towards him, along
those dangerous crags, with steps as bold and
reckless, as if he possessed the power to move in
middle air.  But when the hunter reached the
scene of the ruthless massacre, the ledge was tenanted only by the dead.
His keen eye took a single look at the victims,
and then shot its fierce glances over the difficulties of the ascent in his front. A form stood at
the brow of the mountain, on the very edge of the
giddy height, with uplifted arms, in an awful attitude of menace.  Wtithout stopping to consider
his person, the rifle of Hawk-eye was raised, but
a rock, which fell on the head of one of the fugitives below, exposed the indignant and glowing
countenance of the honest Gamut.  Then Magua
issued from  a crevice, and stepping with calm
indifference over the body of the last of his associates, he leaped a wide fissure, and ascended the
rocks at a point where the arm of David could
not reach him. A single bound would carry him
to the brow of the precipice, and assure his safety.
Before taking the leap, however, the Huron paused, and shaking his hand at the scout, he shouted"The pale-faces are dogs! the Delawares women! Magua leaves them  on the rocks, for the
crows!"
Laughing hoarsely, he made a desperate leap,
and fell short of his mark; though his hands grasped a shrub on the verge of the height. The form
of Hawk-eye had crouched like a beast about to
take its spring, and his frame trembled so violently with eagerness, that the muzzle )f the half
raised rifle played like a leaf fluttering in the
wind. Without exhausting himself with fruitless




502                 THE LAST OF
efforts, the cunning Magua suffered his body it
drop to the length of his arms, and found a fragment for his feet to rest upon. Then summoning
all his powers, he renewed the attempt, and so far
succeeded, as to draw his knees on the edge of
the mountain.  It was now, when the body of
his enemy was most collected together, that the
agitated weapon of the scout was drawn to his
shoulder.  The surrounding  rocks, themselves,
were not steadier than the piece became for the
single instant that it poured out its contents. The
arms of the Huron relaxed, and his body fell back
a little, while his knees still kept their position
Turning a relentless look on his enemy, he shoot
his hand at him, in grim defiance. But his hold
loosened, and his dark person was seen cutting the
air with its head downwards, for a fleeting instant,
until it glided past the fringe of shrubbery which
clung to the mountain, in its rapid flight to destruction.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
They fought-like brave men, long and well,
They piled that ground with Moslem slain,
They conquered-but Bozzaris fell,
Bleeding at every vein.
His few surviving comrades saw
His smile when rang their proud hurrah,
And the red field was won;
Then saw in death his eyelids close
Calmly, as to a night's repose,
Like flowers at set ofsun." —Halleck.
THE sun found the Lenape, on the succeeding
day, a nation of mourners. The sounds of the




THE MOHICANS.                603
battle were over, and they had fed fat tiheir ancient
grudge, and had avenged their recent quarrel with
the Mengwe, by the destruction of a community.
The black and murky atmosphere that floated
around the spot where the Hurons had encamped,
sufficiently announced, of itself, the fate of that
wandering tribe; while hundreds of ravens, that
struggled above the bleak summits of the mountains, or swept, in noisy flocks, across the wide
ranges of the woods, furnished a frightful direction to the scene of the fatal combat  In short,
any eye, at all practised in the signs of a frontier
warfare, might easily have traced all those unerring evidences of the ruthless results which attend
an Indian vengeance.
Still, the sun rose on the Lenape, a nation of
mourners.  No shouts of success, no songs of
triumph, were heard, in rejoicings for their victory.  The latest straggler had returned from his
fell employment, only to strip himself of the terrific emblems of his bloody calling, and to join in
the lamentations of his countrymen, as a stricken
people. Pride and exultation were supplanted by
humility, and the fiercest of human passions was
already succeeded by the most profound and unequi vocal demonstrations of grief.
The lodges were deserted; but a broad belt of
earnest faces encircled a spot in their vicirity,
whither every thing possessing life had repaired,
and where all were now collected, in a deep and
awful silence. Though beings of every rank and
age, of both sexes, and of all pursuits, had united
to form this breathing wall of bodies, they were
influenced by a single emotion.  Each eye was
rivetted on the centre of that ring, which contain.
ed the objects of so much, and of so common, an
interest.




504              THE LAST OF
Six Delaware girls, with their long, dark, flow,
ing, tresses, falling loosely across their bosoms
stood apart, and only gave proofs of their existence,
as they occasionally strewed sweet scented herbs
and forest flowers on a litter of fragrant plants,
that, under a pall of Indian robes, supported all
that now remained of the ardent, high souled, and
generous Cora. Her form was concealed in many
wrappers of the same simple manufacture, and her
face was shut for ever from the gaze of human
eyes. At her feet was seated the desolate Munro.
His aged head was bowed nearly to the earth, in
compelled submission to the stroke of Providence; but there was a hidden anguish that struggled about his furrowed brow, that was only partially concealed by the careless locks of gray that
had fallen, neglected, on his temples.  Gatnut
stood at his side, with his meek head bared to the
rays of the sun, while his eyes, wandering and
concerned, seemed to be equally divided between
that little volume, which contained so many quaint
but holy maxims, and the being, in whose behalf
his soul yearned to administer their consolation.
Heyward was also nigh, supporting himself against
a tree, and endeavouring to keep down those sudden risings of sorrow, that it required his utmost
manhood to subdue.
But sad and melancholy as this groupe may
easily be imagined, it was far less touching than
another, that occupied the opposite space of the
same area. Seated, as in life, with his form and
limbs arranged in grave and decent composure,
Uncas appeared, arrayed in the most gorgeous
ornaments that the wealth of the tribe could
furnish.  Rich plumes nodded above his head,
wampum, gorgets, bracelets, and medals, adorned
his person in profusion; though his dull eye, and




THE MOHICANS.              505
vacant lineaments, too strongly contradicted the
idle tale of pride they would convey.
Directly in frunt of the corpse, Chingachgook
was placed, without arms, paint, or adornment of
any sort, except the bright blue blazonry of lhis
race, that was indelibly impressed on his naked
bosom.  During the long period that the tribe
had been thus collected, the Mohican warrior had
kept a steady, anxious, look on the cold ald senseless countenance of his son.  So rivetted and
intense had been that gaze, and so changeless his
attitude, that a stranger might not have told the
living from the dead, but for the occasional gleamings of a troubled spirit, that shot athwart the
dark visage of one, and the death-like calm that
had for ever settled on the lineaments of the other.
The scout was hard by, leaning, in a pensive
posture, on his own fatal and avenging weapon;
while Tamenund, supported by the elders of his
nation, occupied a high place at hand, whence he
might look down on the mute and sorrowful assemblage of his people.
Just within the inner edge of the circle, stood
soldier, in the military attire of a strange nation,
and without it, was his war-horse, in the centre of
a collection of mounted domestics, seemingly in
readiness to undertake some distant journey. The
vestments of the stranger announced him to be
one who held a responsible situation near the person of the Captain of the Canadas; and who, as it
would now seem, finding his errand of peace frustrated by the fierce impetuosity of his allies, wras
content to become a silent and sad spectator of the
fruits of a contest, that he had arrived too late to
anticipate.
The day was drawing to the close of its first
quarter, and vet had the multitude maintained its
2 U




4506             THE LAST OF
breathing stillness, since the appearance of early
(lawn.  No sound louder than a stifled sob had
been heard among them, nor had even a limb been
moved throughout that long and painful period,
except to perform the simple and touching offerings that were made, from time to time, in commemoration of the sweetness of the maiden. The
patience and forbearance of Indian fortitude, could
alone support such an appearance of abstractioin, as
seemed now to have turned each dark and motion
less figure into some rigid being carved in stone
At length, the sage of the Delawares stretched
forth an arm, and leaning on the shoulders of his
attendants, he arose with an air as feeble, as if
another age had already intervened between the
man who had met his nation the preceding day,
and him who now tottered on his elevated stand
" Men of the Lenape!" he said, in hollow tones
that sounded like a voice charged with some pro
phetic mission; " the face of the Manitto is behind a cloud! his eye is turned from you; his
ears are shut; his tongue gives no answer. You
see him not; yet his judgments are before you.
Let your hearts be open, and your spirits tell no
lie. Men of the Lenape, the face of the Manitto
Is behind a cloud!"
As this simple and yet terrible annunciation
stole on the ears of the multitude, a stillness as
deep and awful succeeded, as if the venerated spirit they worshipped had uttered the words, without the aid of human organs; and even the iranimate Uncas appeared a being of life, compared
with the humbled and submissive throng by whom
he was now surrounded.  As the immediate effect, however, gradually passed away, a low murmur of voices commenced a sort of chant in honour of the dead.  The sounds were thnse of fe



THE MOHICANS.               507
males, and were thrillingly soft and wailing. The
words were connected by no regular continuation,
but as one ceased, another took up the eulogy, or
lamentation, which ever it might be called, and
gave vent to her emotions, in such language as
was suggested by her feelings and the occasion.
At intervals, the speaker was interrupted by general and loud bursts of sorrow, during which the
girls around the bier of Cora plucked the plants
and flowers, blindly, from  her body, as if bewildered with grief. But, in the milder moments of
their plaint, these emblems of purity and sweetness were cast back to their places, with every
sign of tenderness and regret.  Though rendered
less connected by many and general interruptions
and outbreakings, a translation of their language
would have contained a regular descant, which, in
substance, might have proved to possess a train of
consecutive ideas.
A girl, selected for the task by her rank and
qualifications, commenced by modest allusions to
the qualities of the deceased warrior, embellishing
her expressions with those oriental images, that
the Indians have probably brought with them from
the extremes of the other continent, and which
form, of themselves, a link to connect the ancient
histories of the two worlds. She called him the' panther of his tribe;" and described him as one
whose moccasin left no trail on the dews; whose
bound was like the leap of the young fawn; whose
eye was brighter than a star in the dark night; and
whose voice, in battle, was loud as the thunder of
the Manitto.  She reminded him  of the mother
who bore him, and dwelt forcibly on the happiness
she must feel in possessing such a son. She bade
him tell her, when they met in the world of spirits,




508            THE LAST OF
thaf tne Delaware girls had shed tears above the
grave of her child, and had called her blessed.
Then. they who succeeded, changing their tones
to a milder and still more tender strain, alluded,
with the peculiar delicacy and sensitiveness of women, to the stranger maiden, who had left the
upper earth at a time so near his own departure,
as to render the will of the Great Spirit too manifest to be disregarded.  They admonished him to
be kind to her, and to have consideration for her
ignorance of those arts, which were so necessary
to the comfort of a warrior like himself. They
dwelt upon her matchless beauty, and on her noble resolution, without the taint of envy, and as
angels may be thought to delight in a superior excellence; adding, that these endowments should
prove more than equivalent for any little imperfections in her education.
After which, others again, in due succession,
spoke to the maiden herself, in the low, soft language of tenderness and love. They exhorted her
to be of cheerful mind, and to fear nothing for her
future welfare. A hunter would be her companion, who knew how to provide for her smallest
wants; and a warrior was at her side, who was
able to protect her against every danger. They
promised that her path should be pleasant, and
her burthen light.  They cautioned her against
unavailing regrets for the friends of her youth,
and the scenes where her fathers had dwelt; assuring her that the " blessed hunting grounds of
the Lenape" contained vales as pleasant,'streams
as pure, and flowers as sweet, as the "Heaven
of the pale-faces" They advised her to be attentive to the wants of her companion, and never to
forget the distinction which the Manitto had so




THE MOHICANS.              509
wisely established between them   Then, in a
wild burst of their chant, they sung, with united
voices, the temper of the Mohican's mind.  They
pronounced him noble, manly, and generous; all
that became a warrior, and all that a maid might
love. Clothing their ideas in the most remote
and subtle images, they betrayed, that, in the
short period of their intercourse, they had discovered, with the intuitive perception of their sex,
the truant disposition of his inclinations.  The
Delaware girls had found no favour in his eyes!
He was of a race that had once been lords on the
shores of the salt lake, and his wishes had led him
back to a people who dwelt about the graves of
his fathers. Why should not such a predilection
be encouraged! That she was of a blood purer
and richer than the rest of her nation, any eye
might have seen. That she was equal to the dan
gers and daring of a life in the woods, her condact had proved; and, now, they added, the "wise
one of the earth" had transplanted her to a place
where she would find congenial spirits, and might
be for ever happy.
Then. with another transition in voice and subject, allusions were made to the virgin who wept
in the adjacent lodge. They compared her to
flakes of snow; as pure, as white, as brilliant, and
as liable to melt in the fierce heats of summer, or
congeal in the frosts of winter. They doubted
not that she was lovely in the eyes of the young
chief, whose skin and whose sorrow seemed so
like her own; but, though far from expressing
such a preference, it was evident, they deemed
her less excellent than the maid they mourned.
Still they denied her no meed, her rare charms
might properly claim.  Her ringlets were compared to the exuberant tendrils of the vine. her
" T  




510              THE LAST OF
eye tv the blue vault of the heavens, and the most
spotless cloud, with its glowing flush of the sun,
was admitted to be less attractive than her bloom.
During these and similar songs, nothing was
audible but the murmurs of the music; relieved,
as it was, or rather rendered terrible, by those
occasional bursts of grief, which might be called
its choruses. The Delawares themselves listen.
ed like charmed men; and it was very apparent,
by the variations of their speaking countenances,
how deep and true was their sympathy.  Even
David was not reluctant to lend his ears to the
tones of voices so sweet; and long ere the chant
was ended, his eager and attentive gaze announced
that his soul was entirely enthralled.
The scout, to whom  alone, of all the white
men, the words were intelligible, suffered himself
to be a little aroused from his meditative posture,
and bent his face aside, to catch their meaning,
as the girls proceeded. But when they spoke of
tile future prospects of Cora and Uncas, he shook
his head, like one who knew the error of their
simple creed, and resuming his reclining attitude,
he maintained it until the ceremony-if that might
be called a ceremony, in which feeling was so
deeply imbued-was finished.  Happily for the
self-command of both Heyward and Munro, they
knew not the meaning of the wild sounds they
heard.
Chingachgook was a solitary exception to the
interest manifested by the native part of the audience.  His look never changed throughout the
whole of the scene, nor did a muscle move in his
dark and rigid countenance, even at the wildest,
or most pathetic parts of the lamentation. The
cold and senseless remains of his son was all to
him, and every other sense but that of sight seem*




THE MOHICANS.              511
ed frozen, in order that his eyes might take their
final gaze at those lineaments he had so long loved,
and which were now about to be closed for ever
from his view.
In this stage of the funeral obsequies, a warrior,
much renowned for his deeds in arms, and more
especially for his services in the recent combat, a
man of stern and grave demeanour, advanced
slowly from the crowd, and placed himself nigh
the person of the dead.
" Why hast thou left us, pride of the Wapanachki!" he said, addressing himself to the dull
ears of Uncas, as though the empty clay still retained the faculties of the animated man; "thy
time has been like that of the sun when in the
trees; thy glory brighter than his light at noonday. Thou art gone, youthful warrior, but a hundred Wyandots are clearing the briars from thy
path to the world of spirits. Who that saw thee
in battle, would believe that thou couldst die!
Who before thee hast ever shown Uttawa the way
into the fight! Thy feet were like the wings of
eagles; thine arm  heavier than falling branches
from the pine; and thy voice like the Manitto
when he speaks in the clouds. The tongue of
Uttawa is weak," he added, looking about him
with a melancholy gaze, "and his heart exceeding
heavy.  Pride of the Wapanachki, why hast thou
left us!"
He was succeeded by others, in due order, until most of the high and gifted men of the nation
had sung or spoken their tribute of praise over
the manes of the deceased chieftain.  When each
had ended, another deep and breathing silence
reigned in all the place.
Then a low, deep sound was heard, like the
suppressed accompaniment of distant music, rising




512              THE LAST OF
just high enough on the air to be audible, and yet
so indistinctly, as to leave its character, and the
place whence it proceeded, alike matters of conjecture.  It was, however, succeeded by another'
and another strain, each in a higher key, until
they grew on the ear, first in long drawn and of
ten repeated interjections, and finally in words.
The lips of Chingachgook had so far parted, as to
announce that it was the monody of the father
which was now to be uttered.  Though not an
eye was turned towards him, nor the smallest
sign of impatience exhibited, it was apparent, by
the manner in which the multitude elevated their
heads to listen, that they drank in the sounds with
an intenseness of attention, that none but Tamenund himself had ever before commanded.  But
they listened in vain. The strains rose just s,
loud, as to become intelligible, and then grew
fainter and more trembling, until they finally sunk
on the ear, as if borne away by a passing breath
of wind. The lips of the Sagamore closed, and he
remained silent in his seat, looking, with his
riveted eye and motionless form, like some creature that had been turned from  the Almighty
hand with the form, but without the spirit of a
man. The Delawares, who knew, by these symptoms, that the mind of their friend was not prepared for so mighty an effort of fortitude, relaxed
in their attention, and, with an innate delicacy,
seemed to bestow all their thoughts on the obsequies of the stranger maiden.
A signal was given, by one of the elder chiefs,
to the women, who crowded that part of the circle
near which the body of Cora lay. Obedient to the
sign; the girls raised the bier to the elevation of
their heads, and advanced with slow and regulated
steps, chanting, as they proceeded, another soft,




THE MOHICANS.              513
low, and wailing song, in praise of the deceased.
Gamut, who had been a close observer of rites he
deemed so heathenish, now bent his head over the
shoulder of the unconscious father, whispering" They move with the remains of thy child;
shall we not follow, and see them  interred with
Christian burial?"
Munro started, as though the last trumpet had
sounded its blast in his ear, and bestowing one
anxious and hurried glance around him, he arose
and followed in the simple train, with the mien of
a soldier, but bearing the full burthen of a parent's
suffering.  HIls friends pressed around him with
a sorrow that was too strong to be termed sym.
pathy -even the young Frenchman joining in the
procession, with the air of a man who was sensibly touched at the early and melancholy fate of
one so lovely. But when the last and humblest
female of tnie tribe had joined in the wild, and yet
ordered, array, the men of the Lenape contracted
their circle, and formed, again, around the person
of Uncas, as silent, as grave, and as motionless, as
before.
The place which had been chosen for the grave
of Cora, was a little knoll, where a cluster.of
young and healthful pines had taken root, forming, of themselves, a melancholy and appropriate
shade over the spot. On reaching it, the girls deposited their burthen, and continued, for many
minutes, waiting, with characteristic patience, and
native timidity, for some evidence, that they
whose feelings were most concerned, were content with the arrangement. At length, the scout,
who alone understood their habits, said, in their
own language"My daughters have done well; the white men
thank them."
Y




514             THE LAST OF
Satisfied with this testimony in their favourthe girls proceeded to deposit the body in a shell,
ingeniously, and not inelegantly, fabricated of the
bark of the birch; after which, they lowered it
into its dark and final abode. The ceremony of
covering the remains, and concealing the marks
of the fresh earth, by leaves and other natural and
customary objects, was conducted with the same
simple and silent forms. But when the labours of
the kind beings, who had performed these sad and
friendly offices, were so far completed, they hesi.
tated, in a way to show, that they knew not how
much farther they might proceed.  It was in this
stage of the rites, that the scout again addressed
them"My young women have done enough," he
said; "the spirit of a pale-face has no need of
food or raiment-their gifts being according to
the heaven of their colour. I see,"'he added,
glancing an eye at David, who was preparing his
book in a manner that indicated an intention to
lead the way in sacred song, " that one who better
knows the Christian fashions is about to speak."
The females stood modestly aside, and, from
haying been the principal actors in the scene, they
now became the meek and attentive observers of
that which followed. Duringthe time David was
occupied in pouring out the pious feelings of his
spirit in this manner, not a sign of surprise, nor a
look of impatience, escaped them. They listened
as though they knew the meaning of the strange
words, and appeared as if they felt the mingled
emotions of sorrow, hope, and resignation, they
were intended to convey.
Excited by the scene he had just witnessed, and
perhaps influenced by his own secret emotions,
the master of song exceeded all his usual efforts.




THE MOHICANS.              515
His full, rich, voice, was not found to suffer by a
comparison with the soft tones of the girls; and
his more modulated strains possessed, at least for
the ears of those to whom they were peculiarly
addressed, the additional power of intelligence.
He ended the anthem, as he had commenced it, in
the midst of a grave and solemn stillness.
When, however, the closing cadence had fallen
oil the ears of his auditors, the secret, timorous
glances of the eyes, and the general, and yet subdued movement of the assemblage, betrayed, that
something was expected from  the father of the
deceased.  Munro seemed sensible thatthe time
was come for him to exert what is, perhaps, the
greatest effort of which human nature is capable.
He bared his gray locks, and looked around the
timid and quiet throng, by which he was encircled, with a firm and collected countenance. Then
motioning with his hand for the scout to listen,
he said" Say to these kind and gentle females, that a
heart-broken and failing man, returns them his
thanks. Tell them, that the Being we all worship,
under different names, will be mindful of their
charity; and that the time shall not be distant,
when we may assemble around his throne, without distinction of sex, or rank, or colour!"
The scout listened to the tremulous voice in
which the veteran delivered these words, and
shook his head, slowly, when they were ended,
as one who doubted of their efficacy.
"To tell them this," he said, " would be to tell
them that the snows come not in the winter, or
that the sun shines fiercest when the trees are
stripped of their leaves!"
Then turning to the women, he made such a
communication of the other's gratitude, as he




516             THE LAST OF
deemed most suited to the capacities of his listeners. The head of Munro had already sunken
upon his chest, and he was again fast relapsing into
his brooding melancholy, when the young Frenchman before named, ventured to touch him lightly
on the elbow. As soon'as he had gained the attention of the mourning old man, he pointed towards a groupe of young Indians, who approached
with a light, but closely covered litter, and then
pointed upward, impressively, towards the sun.
"I understand you, sir," returned Munro, with
a voice of forced firmness; "I understand you.
It is the will of Heaven, and I submit. Cora, my
child! if the prayers of a heart-broken father
could avail thee now, how blessed shouldst thou
be! Come, gentlemen," he added, looking about
him with an air of lofty composure, though the
anguish that quivered in his faded countenance
was far too powerful to be entirely concealed,
"our duty here is ended; let us depart."
Heyward gladly obeyed a summons that took
them from a spot, where, cacl -instant, he felt his
self-control was about to desert him. While his
companions were mounting, however, he found.
time to press the hand of the scout, and to repeat
the terms of an engagement they had made, tc
meet again within the posts of the British army.
Then gladly throwing himself into the saddle, he
spurred his charger to the side of the litter, whence
low and stifled sobs, alone announced the presence
of Alice. In this manner, the head of Munro
again dropping on his bosom, with Heyward and
David following in sorrowing silence, and attended by the Aide of Montcalm with his guard, all
the white men, with the exception of Hawk-eye,
passed from before the eyes of the Delawares, andi
were soon buried in the vast forests of that region.




THE MOHICANS.              517
But the tie which, through their common calamity, had united the feelings of these simple
dwellers in the woods with the strangers who had
thus transiently visited them, was not so easily
broken.  Years passed away before the traditionary tale of the white maiden, and of the young
warrior of the Mohicans, ceased to beguile Jhe
long nights and tedious marches of their weariness, or to animate their youthful and brave with
a desire for vengeance against their natural enemies.  Neither were the secondary actors in all
these momentous incidents immediately forgotten.
Through the medium of the scout, who served for
years afterwards, as a link between them and
civilized life, they learned, in answer to their inquiries, that the "gray-head" was speedily gathered to his fathers-borne down, as was erroneously
believed, by his military misfortunes; and that
the "open hand" had conveyed his surviving
daughter far into the settlements of the "palefaces," where her tears had, at last, ceased to flow,
and had been succeeded by the bright smiles which
were better suited to her hapy anu joyous nature.
But theLe were events of a time later than that
which concerns our tale.  Deserted by all of his
colour, Hawk-eye returned to the spot where his
own sympathies led him, with a force that no
ideal bond of union could bestow. He was just
in time to catch a parting look of the features of
Uncas, whom the Delawares were already enclosing in his last vestments of skins.  They paused
to permit the longing and lingering gaze of the
sturdy woodsman, and when it was ended, the
body was enveloped, never to be unclosed again.
Then came a procession like the other, and the
whole nation was collected about the temporary
grave of the chief-temporary, because it was
2X




518             THE LAST OF
proper, that at some future day, his bones should
rest among those of his own people.
The movement, like the feeling, had been
simultaneous and general  The same grave ex*
pression of grief, the same rigid silence, and the
same deference to the principal mourner, were
observed, around the place of interment, as have
been already described. The body was deposited,
in an attitude of repose, facing the rising sun, with
the implements of war and of the chase at hand,
in readiness for the final journey.  An opening'
was left in the shell, by which it was protected
from the soil, for the spirit to commaDicate with
its earthly tenement, when necessary; and the
whole was concealed fiom the instinct, and protected from the ravages of the beasts of prey, with
an ingenuity peculiar to the natives. The manual
rites then ceased, and all present reverted to the
more spiritual part of the ceremonies.
Chingachgook became, once more, the object of
the common attention.  He had not yet spoken.
and something consolatory and instructive was
expected from so renowned a chief, on an occasion of such general interest. Conscious of the
wishes of the people, the stern and self-restrained
warrior raised his face, which had latterly been
buried in his robe, and lboked about him, with a
steady eye.  His firmly compressed and explessive lips then severed, and for the first time during the long ceremonies, his voice was heard,
distinctly audible.
"Why do my brothers mourn!*" he said, regarding the dark race of dejected w;rriors, by
whom he was environed; " why do my daughters
weep! that a young man has gone to the happy
hunting grounds! that a chief has filled his time.
with honour! He was good. He was dutiful He




THE MOHICANS.              519
was brave. Who can deny it? The Manitto had
need of such a warrior, and he has called him
away. As for me, the son and the father of Uncas; I am a'blazed pine, in a.clearing of the palefaces.' My race has gone from the shores of the
salt lake, and the hills of the Delawares. But who
can say that the serpent of his tribe has forgotten
his wisdom! I am alone-"
"No, no," cried Hawk-eye, who had been
ga7ing with a yearning look at the rigid features
of his friend, with something like his own selfcommand, but whose philosophy could endure no
longer; "no, Sagamore, not alone. The gifts of
our colours may be different, but God has so
placed us as to journey in the same path. I have
no kin, and I may also say, like you, no people.
He was your son, and a red-skin by nature; and
it may be, that your blood was nearer-but if
ever I forget the lad, who has so often fou't at
my side in war, and slept at my side in peace,
may He who made us all, whatever may be our
colour or our gifts, forget me. Trhe boy has left
us for a time, but, Sagamore, you are not alone!"
Chingachgook grasped the hands that, in the
warmth of his feeling, the scout had stretched
across the fresh earth, and in that attitude of
friendship, these two sturdy and intrepid woodsmen bowed their heads together, while scalding
tears fell to their feet, watering the grave of Uncas, like drops of falling rain.
In the midst of the awful stillness with which
such a burst of feeling, coming, as it did, from the
two most renowned warriors of that region, was
received, Tamenund lifted his voice, to disperse
the multitude.
" It is enough!" he said. " Go, children of the
Lenape; the anger of the Manitto is not done




b20     THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
Why should Tamenund stay? The pale-faces are
masters of the earth, and the time of the red-men
has not yet come again. My day has been too
long. In the morning I saw the sons of Unamis
happy and strong; and yet, before the night has
come, have I lived to see the last warrior of the
wise race of the Mohicans!"








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